Persona: In the Web of Time
by GREKy the GREK
Summary: When Dark Hour returns, SEES, Phantom Thieves, Investigation Team and newly awaken to an unusual power exchange student from America join forces to save the one who once became the Great Seal.
1. Velvet Room - Prologue

**Velvet Room**

The sound of heavy ice blocks crashing against each other echoed throughout the dark room, however, with the time passing this somehow bizarrely soothing melody extinguished and the lights turned on, illuminating a carved in ice hall.

In the center of the area there was a large rectangular table situated on top of a simple velvet carpet and at its two opposites ends, there were comfortable chairs of a matching color. On one of them was sitting an old man with strangely long nose. He was wearing a black suit and white gloves, which were giving him an aura of importance. Eventually, the man opened his bloodshot eyes and spoke.

"My, my. A new guest… How long has it been since the last visit? I wonder… Oh, please forgive my manners. Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor." He clasped his hands and at that moment, a figure in an oval mask with velvet cross on it appeared at the left side of his chair.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter, therefore, you don't need to worry. My master summoned you here only to inform that we shall aid you during your journey." "Indeed. A great ordeal is ahead of you, our dear Guest, so you ought to be prepared to give your utmost. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you any more than that yet although I promise your fate is going unveil soon." Igor chuckled, taking a deck of tarot cards out of his breast pocket and as he started to place them on the table, his assistant opened a large book.

"We, residents of the Velvet Room are merely your tools, who shall support you from shadows. You are free to use the power you're about acquire according to your own choice, but on one condition – you will take responsibility for any decisions you make." "And how intriguing this power of yours is, dear Guest! Fu fu, I'm looking forward to see how your story shall end. Anyway, please take a look." Igor drew three cards. The first of them was the Fool, second – reversed Death and third – Fortune.

"Such combination surely is rare… Nonetheless, I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Though in your world you are currently fast asleep, I cannot take any more of your precious time than it is necessary. I bid you farewell for now, Guest. Next time we shall see each other, it will be out of your own volition, so please, take this." Igor placed a small key with engraved letter V on the table and when the Guest reached out to it, the Velvet Room once again returned to darkness.


	2. Chapter 1 Awaking (Charlotte Atkins)

**Chapter 1. Awaking (Charlotte Atkins)**

When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw the road and passing at various speed cars. I felt asleep, huh? It seemed as if it was the case. Normally I would never sleep during daytime but I guessed that the flight and connected to it jet lag was the reason.

"Good morning there, Charlotte. We're nearly home." A voice called out to me from the right. It was my aunt – Helen Yuzawa and we were on the way from the airport to her house. "I see. I'm slowly getting hungry…" "Haha, that's good to hear. I hope you will quickly get used to Japanese cuisine. Though at first it might be a bit of a cultural shock for your stomach." Aunt Helen beamed at me kindly and turned the radio on. I had to admit, she looked nearly identical as her sister and my mother, so even though we hadn't seen each other for at least 6 years, I felt at ease around her.

 _I will burn my dread_ … For a moment I focused on currently playing song. _…I once ran away from the god of fear and he chained me to despair_ _(Burn my dread)…_ I didn't remember hearing this track before, so I guessed this was only trending in Japan, however, then I would have been aware of it. In the end, I was pretty much an ultimate otaku, which most likely resulted in my arrival in this country. Well, it made me happy that not only I could fulfil one of my biggest dreams but also, visit my family and study at the University of Tokyo for two semesters. As I was the first-year student and frankly, I wasn't that great on the academic field, getting into this student exchange program turned out to be quite a miracle.

 _I will break the chain and run till I see the sunlight again…_ "Did you have a nightmare? You seemed very restless." Once the chorus eventually faded, aunt asked with a genuine concern in her tone. "I don't know. I think I already forgot what it was about." I remembered having a dream, though about what? I couldn't recall anything at all… "That's a shame. A wise man once said that all dreams hold secret meanings to them. That's why you shouldn't ignore even the bad ones." "Ah, and who was he?" Since I was aware of how aunt used to quote unknown sources all the time, I decided to play a small joke. "Somebody…" She chuckled and then, the car stopped.

My knees slightly gave in when I got out but I quickly regained balance. Fresh air… I deeply inhaled and looked around. Despite the fact it was the capital of the country, area in which my aunt lived was surprisingly green. And they had a garden! I loved to spend time outdoors and take care of flowers but due to my skin condition, during especially sunny days it might be problematic. I had photosensitivity, which could be pretty much described as sun allergy. Fortunately, it wasn't strong, so I didn't have to take any drugs but it still made my life more complicated than I would like it to be. I sighed… There was no point in complaining too much. It was a part of me I had to accept and live with.

"Welcome to our household. You must be Helen's niece. You've grown to be a very beautiful young woman since the last time I saw you, Charlotte." Uncle Hajime greeted me from the threshold. "C'mon. I was like 12 years back then, uncle. Nonetheless, it's good to see you too." I bowed to him politely, which caused him to smile. "You're very fluent in Japanese. I was afraid we would have to use English all the time." "Though would that be a problem? You didn't have any difficulties back then, did you?" Hajime Yuzawa might have been born in Japan, however, he spent most of his life in USA, where his parents emigrated when he was little. There he met my aunt and after they got married, they returned to his homeland 6 years ago. The move was quite sudden, so most of the family still didn't know the reason.

"Not for me. But for this little one." Uncle laughed, patting the head of peeking from behind him little girl. "Don't be shy, Sakura. This your cousin, Charlotte. Say hi to her." Eventually, she emerged from her father's side. Sakura was a splitting image of aunt Helen when she was young. I had seen several photographs and the shape of her face was nearly alike. And she even had the same haircut – a single small braid of brown hair on her back. "…H-hi…" Sakura avoided to make eye contact with me. From what I could see, she was around 6, so she may have been embarrassed to talk with a stranger such as me. In the end, it was the first time we met but I hoped we would get along in near future.

"Hello, you can call me Charlie." I waved my hand to her. "She will get used to you." Aunt Helen added, taking out my baggage for the trunk. "I'll take care of this. You can go inside already." She nodded to me. "If you insist. Sorry for being a burden to you." I'd rather help her but well… I was exhausted. Frankly, I could hardly stand on my two feet as my eyes suddenly started to close themselves. "Dear, would be that kind and show her to her room?" "Yes, of course. Please come with us, Charlotte."

And so, following uncle and trotting along him little Sakura, I arrived at the second floor of their house. "Wow, it's really nice in here." I couldn't help but to praise the design of interior. Even the corridor was very pretty and I'd even say, I liked this mix of green and brown even more than I enjoyed plainness of my family home. "You're exaggerating but thank you. And that's your bedroom." Uncle opened the furthest to the left door and invited me inside. "We didn't know what you like, so we tried to keep it simple. Anyhow, I hope it will come to your preference."

Indeed, that was a very modest room. A bed with white sheets, a desk with a computer on, a movable lamp, some drawers, bookshelves and a mirror. Nonetheless, I had no objections. I wouldn't know what to do with more stuff anyway. "Thanks. This suits me well." "I'm relieved then. Would you like to have a meal, Charlotte? Or the rest comes first?" Both… My stomach slowly began to growl; however, I didn't have enough energy now. What a terrible state to be in… "I guess that has to wait. I'm beat." I answered, gazing on the welcoming me pillow. "Alright. Sleep well. You've come a long road, so you should take it easy. I remember the first time I traveled with the plane. It was…" Before uncle could get into his story, his daughter pulled his hand. "Dad… Don't… Boring…" "Right, right. Sorry about that. Let's say our good nights and go, Sakura." Uncle giggled and shortly afterwards, they left the room.

And I was finally alone. I smiled to the mirror. I looked even paler than usual but I guessed it was another of flight's effects. Additionally, my white hair was making me seem nearly like a ghost. Curiously, that was my natural color as I was like that as far as my memories went. I wondered whether I suffered to something I once stumbled upon on the Internet – Marie Antoinette syndrome, though was that even possible in the first place? No point in thinking about that now. Without changing my clothes, I dropped on the bed, immediately falling asleep.

Nothingness… All I could see was a pair of large golden doors with a pattern of moving blue eyeballs on it. In front of them there was a net of chains, forming a blockade preventing the further access and originated from a figure of a young boy, crucified in the middle of this seal. Though this statue seemed to be made of stone, I felt like if he was still alive and kept watching me from behind covering his eyes hair. I tried to step closer to him, however, as I couldn't see the floor, I didn't dare to walk away too far. Suddenly, the area began to fill with a yellowish gas.

What was going on? By all means, that couldn't mean anything positive. _You've gotta run_ , the boy seemed to call out to me although I was sure it was just my survival instinct kicking in. This was so ominous that I couldn't help but to panic. Calm down, Charlie. I attempted to reason with my own brain. No matter how real it appeared to be, it was only a mere dream. Nothing bad would happen to me here… Anyway, I'd prefer to wake up fast. Though I was certain it wouldn't actually work, just in case I tried to pinch my cheek. Obviously, it failed…

Then a terrible roar filled the surrounding, making me fall down covering my ears. Because of it, my head hurt and my vision became blurred. Instinctively, I tried to curl into a ball and wait it out. "Please, let me wake up…" I whispered. My whole body was shaking due to the overwhelming cold. I felt that if I were to stay here, I was going to freeze to death soon. At that moment, I noticed a movement. Followed by a trail of pure darkness, a horned monster appeared from the other side of now visible thanks to the fumes platform. It looked at me with its pulsing red eyes. I wanted to scream but my throat wasn't willing to cooperate. In the meantime, the second matching head emerged next to the first one and opened its mouth, firing at me a stream of dark energy. Not knowing what to do, I desperately attempted to cover myself with my arms and closed my eyes.

Breathing heavily, I raised from my bed. Even though I was still in my favorite green jacket, the cold sweat on my body wasn't caused by its warmth. _I can't hold it any longer_. A sentence echoed in my thoughts. Damn, what was with that nightmare? It was so creepy… Mom told me that the first time in a new bed could be hard but what I just experienced went far beyond that.

Fixing myself, I noticed that somebody was calling me over the phone. As I previously turned it into vibration mode, my ringtone didn't ring, so I was lucky to notice it that fast. A call from… 'Michael 3' – my boyfriend. Then, I shouldn't keep him waiting. With a swift swipe I answered. "Hey. How's it going?" " _Oh, hi. I didn't expect you to be this quick._ " "Luckily, I just got up, so I guess that's why. So, miss me already?" " _Of course. But more importantly, feeling well?_ " "Yup. You're such a worrywart." I teased him pretending to pout. Honestly, I found it cute he stayed up this late just to check on me. As here was currently 8.31 pm, in Seattle, where we lived should be 3 am. " _Glad to hear that. Then I guess I shouldn't interrupt you anymore. If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me._ " "Sure. Thanks. Love you." " _Yeah, love you too._ " He said and the call ended.

Unlike Michael, I still had a lot to do today. Since it was going to take a while until my biological clock would fully adapt, I could imagine myself staying up for the whole night. At least it would be quiet… I gazed around the room. All of my things were already here, so I assumed aunt brought them while I was 'resting'. I should thank her for that later, but first, I had to wash myself and change into something more comfortable. From one of the suitcases I picked up a towel and a set consisting of a white T-shirt with Eifel Tower (a cheap counterpart of Tokyo Tower) on it and black trousers. I liked to wear stuff like that around house, so I guessed that should do the trick in Japan too. Okay, time to take a shower! However, the first thing I realized after leaving my bedroom was the fact I still didn't know where the bathroom was. Crap. Even though they were my family, I couldn't just start walking around and opening doors at random, therefore, I had to head downstairs, from where I could hear uncle's and aunt's voices.

"I told you we shouldn't invite her. Our house is too small for another person to move in." It seemed that they were having an argument. Did uncle Hajime mean me? He was giving an impression he was happy to see me, so I didn't see this one coming. Anyway, though I shouldn't be eavesdropping on them, I stopped and decided to listen to their conversation for a moment. "What got into you again? Just a week ago you were looking forward to see her and now?" Aunt protested. "Things changed…" He replied awkwardly. If my intuition was correct, he had lied to aunt, though I couldn't know when. Today, or back then? "How? Don't be ridiculous! Even if four of us were to stay in one bed, I wouldn't turn her away. For goodness' sake, she's our family. Besides, you know someone of her health wouldn't survive in student houses." "And that's exactly why. What if she will need hospitalization? We can't afford that!" "I know. Then I would sell my jewelry if that was necessary. This is my sister's daughter and for me she's one as well."

Hearing that made me feel strange. On one hand, I was happy that aunt Helen valued me this much, while on the other, depressed. As a matter of fact, uncle was right. It had been years since anything like that occurred, however, there was no way to be sure. Difference of air could unpredictably worsen my condition and what then? I should have thought about that earlier. Just because I wished to be here, didn't mean I was able to. This lack of foresight on my sight put my family in a tight spot, so I had to make sure to stay healthy. I didn't want to trouble them anymore than they already were. "M-Miss Charlie?" Unexpectedly, my cousin curiously tilted her head. Fortunately, Sakura was too young to realize what I was doing and aunt and uncle didn't discover us too. "You can drop the miss part. We're family. By the way, I'm looking for a bathroom. Can you show me the way?" "Uh huh. It's over there." She answered with a shy smile and led me there.

As it turned out, bathroom was situated directly below my bedroom. It was designed in a very western style. A big tub, a shower cabin and a sink with mirror cabinet. Just what the heck was I expecting? It should have been obvious to me that they wouldn't have such traditional bathrooms like in anime. I sighed and began to undress. A quick shower to clean my body and soul from the travel and the nightmare. Yeah, especially from the latter. I was still shivering while thinking about that. It wasn't like I was particularly bad with horrors, however, if I could, I avoided them. They just weren't my thing. I preferred something more optimistic and heartwarming in all meanings of those words and not to mention, probably like the majority of women – something I could cry a river to. Speaking of rivers, when I was finally naked, I got under the shower and turned it on.

Ten minutes later or so, I was already done. Since I forgot to bring my own shampoo, I had to borrow a bit from aunt. Hopefully, she wouldn't be mad about me taking it without a permission because I simply couldn't resist. It just smelled so great! Cherry blossoms were something I would connotate Japan with, so once I spotted it, my hands moved on their own. Anyway, once I thoroughly dried myself, I got into my casual outfit and stepped in front of the mirror. As my hair wasn't long, I didn't have to struggle with it a lot. Nonetheless, even with such shoulder length, I still had to take care of it somehow, so once again I allowed myself to borrow aunt's belonging and using her comb, I did what had to be done. Voila! I kind of regretted not bringing my phone with me. I would have sent a photo to Michael as that would have not only ease his worries, but also, make him a nice surprise. I knew how much he liked my haircut. Back in the day, when I contemplated changing my style, he tried to reason with me so desperately that I had a hard time not bursting into laugher. Michael was certainly a one of a kind guy, so I hoped our relationship would survive despite the distance. I fully trusted in him, however, there was no way of telling how he would think of us after like a few months of not seeing each other in person… No, I shouldn't… I shook my head. I shouldn't be even considering such worst-case scenarios. In order to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts, I lowered myself to wash my face with cold water and then, when I got my sight back on the mirror, I noticed someone was standing behind me.

I froze. In spite of the fact this person in a heavy dark blue coat was hiding himself underneath a white oval mask with a cross of a matching color, I knew he was looking at me. Uncle? Was he playing a trick on me? There was no way. I made sure to lock the door. Besides, I didn't think he would do such a thing. It just didn't fit into his personality or so I at least imagined as I slowly began to turn around. Though my heart was beating like if it was going to explode any second now, I steeled my resolve not to freak out. The figure seemed male, so if that was really going to be him, I would tell him a few words. That was too much as for a prank! I was mentally prepared to quarrel although I realized that there was no reason to. As a matter of fact, I was alone. Uff… I loudly exhaled in relief and once again checked on the mirror. There was no one there as well. So, was that just an illusion? A trick of light, which made it seem this way? Perhaps… A blue towel was hanging from that wall; therefore, my tired mind must have fooled me. Still, it was definitely for the best. A long journey from US made me paranoid. Hah. I laughed nervously and as fast as I could, rushed back to my bedroom.

Two days later. I was gradually acclimatizing to the new environment and felt more like in home in my relatives' house. However, it was a high time to go out and take care of some official businesses. As a matter of fact, soon I was about to start attending my college courses, so I had to visit the dean's office, meet with the responsible for exchange students teacher and of course, get familiar with the campus, so I wouldn't be late for classes due to being lost.

Even though it was pretty much the end of October, the weather was unexpectedly sunny. Not even the slightest trace of a cloud could be found on the sky and I had to admit, I didn't enjoy it. Though maybe if I didn't have such a problem… Well, in situations like that all I had to do was to take an umbrella with me, so my skin wouldn't be exposed to the sunlight for too long. Even in America other people were looking at me as if I were crazy going out in such a style, thus here, in Japan I must have became some sort of an attraction considering those funny gazes, but it was still better than having to deal with discolorations on my nails, rash and peeling of skin. Ugh… Just a reminiscence of that was enough to make me feel uncomfortable. Ever since that incident when I was little, I found those symptoms dreadful and avoided them at all cost.

Nonetheless, I couldn't hole up at home. If I wanted to do this, I would have stayed in Seattle. I came to Japan to study and see as much of this beautiful country as it was only possible. Tokyo alone had a lot of places I would like to visit: Sensō-ji temple, Meiji Jingu shrine and many more, including of course the famed Tokyo Tower and Akihabra. Especially the latter was of interest to me as I had been saving money for this occasion alone for so long and was ready to spend there all I had. Or probably I shouldn't… But on the other hand, that might be my only opportunity… Aaaah, I couldn't decide! Life of otaku was a hard one, huh? As for now, I'd simply stay away from there. Yes. The smartest move was to go on the shopping spree on the last day before returning home. That was unless I would have gone broke by that time. Damn it! Choices… Choices... Choices…! I had to make sure to at least purchase a gift for Michael. Nothing else mattered, didn't it?

Before I realized, I reached the University of Tokyo and wow! This building sure was something. The one in Seattle was also quite impressive, however, without a doubt it lost to this one. So huge! It even had a tower with a clock in it, thanks to which I noticed it was exactly 2 pm. My appointment might have been for half past 2 although knowing how Japanese perceived being late, I had to arrive with a bit of a safety pillow, especially since I still had to find the correct room and that could be problematic… At any rate, it wasn't like standing idle was going to benefit me. Hiding the umbrella in my bag, I opened the large wooden door and went inside.

So many people… I guessed it must have been the break as corridors were pretty much crowded. Barely navigating through all of the fellow students, I somehow made it to the staircase to the second floor, where I stopped for a moment. Though I didn't have any particular social anxieties, I was currently having difficulties with breathing but they were rather caused by the fact all windows in the facility seemed to be tightly closed down. How these people could survive without oxygen? For real… "Excuse me. Are you one of the exchange students by the chance?" Suddenly a guy in white buttoned shirt and glasses called out to me from the higher floor. "Oh, you scared me. And yes, I am." "Good to see you this early. No offence, but most of Americans sure take their sweet time when it comes to meetings." What a jerk… Although he was kind of right. In comparison to eastern culture, no one was as punctual to treat being 5 minutes before as being on time. "I know you are to take care of the documents, but Ms. Yamagishi asked me to bring any of your bunch to her first. She says it's important." He announced. "Ms. Yamagishi? The one in charge of the exchange program?" I was going to see her today anyway but did something happen? It sounded quite ominous. "Obviously. Please, follow me. I don't have the whole day…" That asshole shrugged his shoulders and turned around. I didn't want to have anything to do with such a person, however, there was no reason not to go with him.

Eventually, we reached the room 311 with a note on them, informing that it was an office of Fuuka Yamagishi of Computer Science Department. The boy who showed me the way knocked to it politely and once 'come in' sounded from the other side, he opened the door for me to enter. As for an office of a university teacher, this room sure was messy. Various computer parts and other forms of electronic elements I couldn't even name were laying all over the shelves and not only. In the middle of this stood a modestly dressed woman. Her hair was teal-blue and braided at front. How old was she? It wasn't possible to guess, though I would give her max 30. "Welcome in Japan. You must be Ms. Atkins, 1st year of social psychology, am I correct?" Yamagishi smiled to me warmly. "Yes. That's me. Good evening." I bowed to her and sat down on pointed out to me chair.

Despite the fact she was trying to be as hospitable as she only could, I had a terrible premonition that something was wrong. Did American side failed to send all necessary documents to finalize the project? No, that couldn't be it. In the end, I wasn't called out personally. That boy told me all exchange students were to be summoned here. So, what could it be? I wondered holding my breath, when Ms. Yamagishi finally spoke up. "Actually, even though there's still nearly the week before the planned beginning, you are the third one to arrive." That was kind of strange but not any of my business, to be honest. Everyone was supposed to find a transport on their own, so I guessed they would eventually make it late. "Yeah. I have family here in Tokyo, so I came to stay with them." "I see. That's good to know then. Ms. Atkins, what I am about to say might not be the most pleasant news, however, I should be straight with you. Unfortunately, the exchange program had been cancelled."

WHAT?! Uncontrollably, I stood up in disbelieve. "How? On the last moment? Why weren't we informed beforehand?" "Please, calm down, Ms. Atkins. I'm really sorry but that wasn't my decision. The university has its circumstances. Although I cannot give you anything about those as its classified information…" Yamagishi looked at me with apologetic expression on her face. She seemed very troubled by the situation as well, so I shouldn't vent out my frustration on her. "Great, you won't even tell me why…" Crossing my arms, I sat down again. I was genuinely pissed; however, I couldn't let it get into my head. In Japan people perceived such action differently, so I had to swallow it somehow. "I agree with you. This is certainly unfair to you but there's nothing we can do about that now. Of course, the University shall cover all of your expenses, including the returning plane ticket." And so what of it? But what about my plans? Were they really going to send me back home to the grey reality just like that? What a nonsense! "Understood… Thank you." I sighed, tightening my lips. A part of me wanted to start crying and throw a tantrum although I knew how pointless it was. I was no longer a kid, so I had to act befitting for my adult age. "That's all I had to say. Once again, please forgive us…" Accompanying me to the office exit, Yamagishi bowed to me. "If that can't be helped. Then I guess I should be going." I declared in resignation and after saying goodbye, I decided to head outside.

Seriously, what the fuck was that? A total bullshit if you were to ask me. I went through a lot of preparations just to be here and now? Once I finally showed up, they told me to get lost. That was ridiculous! Fortunately enough, it seemed that another classes hour had just begun as the corridors were currently empty. Thanks to that, no one had to see me angrily pushing the front door open and letting out a loud sigh of frustration. Or so I at least thought. "Judging from her reaction, she had just learnt about it." "You know, we're kind of in the same situation." I didn't need to hear them speaking English to figure out the pair who engaged me were my fellow American countrymen. A brown-haired guy in a green hoodie with flashy yellowish elements and a girl in a grey sweater, whose hair was blonde and curly. Just how much clueless you could be in a foreign land? I wondered. C'mon, have some respect for local traditions and norms. "You're also exchange students?" I asked. "Yeah. Or so we thought until recently." The girl played with her hair. I could see she was as bitter about it as I was. "What a sick joke, huh? Anyway, name's James Garter. And this is Stephanie Parkins. We're both from the social psychology, year 1." "Oh, me too. I'm Charlotte Atkins."

Once the introductions were over, Stephanie invited me to join them on a walk, claiming that they wanted to discuss something important with me, regarding the canceled exchange. Though I would definitely prefer to be alone right now, I agreed. "An umbrella?" Intrigued James touched his chin when I covered myself from the sun. "You know, I'm a vampire." I chuckled. This answer might be making me seem even weirder, however, I always used it when I didn't have to get into details of my sickness. "For real?!" His eyes widened but then, Stephanie smacked his head from behind. "Have some tact. Don't you see how pale she is?" "Ouch. Isn't it from the bad news?" And once again he was hit. "Not to that extent, idiot. Apologize to Charlotte." "Ahh… I get it! I'm sorry! Though I still don't get why." James desperately spat out as his ear was being pulled by Stephanie. "Don't worry. That isn't a big deal to me. I'm just allergic to sunrays." I attempted to laugh it off although the subject was fully dropped only when we sat down on a bench in shadow.

"So, what is it you had for me?" I started the conversation. James and Stephanie exchanged glances and then, he spoke up. "I assume you were called to Yamagishi's office and then politely told to fuck off, right?" Though it was quite a rude way of describing what took place, I nodded in confirmation. "I see. Same was for us. Some jerky Glasses-kun appeared and well… You know the rest of the story." She added. Could it be that they encountered the same person? I guessed he must have been some sort of a student body representative. "Don't you think that's extremely fishy? We contacted Seattle and guess what?" "They never heard of the cancelation!" Stephanie stood up and showed me an official e-mail from her smartphone. "…?!" I didn't know how to react to that. By all means, this seemed to be a legit message and not only that. As I quickly checked on the page of Seattle University, there was an article about the start of exchange program, posted on… Today! "What's going on? Was there a mistake?" I was completely lost. "We believe it was a deliberate lie. Somebody on the side of Tokyo is messing with us. Though for what reason?" Stephanie crossed her arms. "Charlotte, can we trust you?" Suddenly, James lowered his voice. "On what?" "Look, thanks to assistance provided by our friend, we acquired something interesting." The implied message was clear. It wasn't obtained from a legal source. Well, I wouldn't go straight to police as I had nothing to gain from that. So many strange things were happening ever since I came to Japan, therefore, if I was going to uncover one of the mysteries, I'd feel at least slightly better. Holding my breath, I took the phone from James' hands and gazed into its screen.

What was there reminded me of a notebook made of scraps of papers. I remembered making one when I was a kid, however, that wasn't important now. The first section I zoomed in turned out to be a profile of Fuuka Yamagishi. "That teacher?" I accidently said it aloud and because of that, James and Stephanie hushed me, urging me to read further. Her day of birth, zodiac sign and even address… Was their friend a hacker? Never mind that. I scrolled down to records of her life – from childhood to the present day. Some of the paragraphs, especially about her high school days had been highlighted with several red lines and had 'tampered with' next to it. "Those were deleted. Probably by them." James slid over to the heading 'Kirijo Group', though I more or less already knew about this organization. Everyone did. They were one of the most known Japanese companies. "Yamagishi and the leader of Kirijo Group – Mitsuru Kirijo have been friends since her second year at high school. They even resided in the same dorm until Kirijo's graduation. Additionally…" This time it was Stephanie who touched the phone, displaying a few photographs of Yamagishi and a redhaired woman whom I recognized to be Kirijo. "They seem close…" "Yeah, they are. And now the final piece. Check out the dates." October 12th, 14th, 20th, 26th… "The last one is from yesterday!" "More importantly, we met her on 20th. Kirijo left Yamagishi's office just before us. Yamagishi seemed somehow troubled after that visit." "Not to mention, do you want to know when Yamagishi began to work at the university? On the October 13th. A day after board meeting in which Kirijo personally took part." James presented to me a scan of said meeting's minutes and he was right. A unanimous decision about Yamagishi's employment was indeed made there.

If it wasn't for the fact everything perfectly matched, I would have thought they were trying to play a prank on me. Frankly, I would have preferred if they were, however, this whole case seemed too suspicious. Was Kirijo Group responsible for this chaos? Why though? No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't grasp their potential goal in disbanding a single college exchange program. Seeking the answer, I looked at Stephanie and James although they didn't give it to me. "That's what we are trying to find out. Such lie is going to compromise their corporation and there's no way they aren't aware of that. It's only a matter time…" Stephanie frowned and James continued. "For that reason, we're going to break into Yamagishi's office tonight." "You what?" For a second I thought I misheard him. "Yeah, it sounds crazy, but it's our only chance to expose them. Though I doubt we will find anything concrete there, any further lead should be fine." "It's better to be a small group during such missions but as you're now pretty much one of accomplices, will you go with us, Charlotte?" Stephanie reached out to me.

"I…" …hesitated. Even if we weren't caught on act, the whole campus was surely filled with security cameras, which would have recorded us. And then what? Police would find us quickly and together with them – Kirijo Group. Assuming that they were indeed scheming something, we wouldn't get away with the crime. I didn't wish to create problems for my family, so I should politely decline. Risk taking was never a part of my personality, but… As long as a chance of discovering the reason existed, I wished to seize it. Maybe I allowed to get them into my head too much, however, I couldn't shake off a feeling that a bigger conspiracy was connecting Yamagishi, Kirijo and the University of Tokyo. Perhaps there was a method in this madness… I pondered, finally making up my mind. "I'm in." I said with a full resolve and shook Stephanie's hand. Like some claim, you only live once, so let's give it a try. "Great! We'll be counting on you, partner." She grinned conspiratorially.

Once the discussion was over, James, Stephanie and me exchanged phone numbers and setting the meeting time for quarter to midnight, we parted ways. They went off somewhere together and I returned to my aunt's and uncle's home. Though I felt bad doing so, I lied to them, saying that everything was already all set and I met my friends from America, with whom I made plans for this night. To raise my guilty consciousness to even a greater level, aunt gifted me with an equivalent of 100 dollars in yen, wishing me to have fun and not to be out for too long. She was so good to me and I… Just imagining her face when she would learn the truth was making me hate myself. Damn it. However, it was already too late to back away as I reached the park next to the campus in which we were supposed to gather.

But it was empty. Not a single soul could be seen or heard around. So, in the end they stood me up? It was 11.39 pm, therefore, they should already be here, even only to check if I actually showed up and mock me from behind the scenes. For that reason, I began to doubt their motivations and started to casually stroll around. I always liked to trust in people to the bitter end. Stephanie and James could be late or be waiting for me in a different part of the area. Or something bad happened to them… No! I shook the thought out of my head and heavily swallowed. They would come, eventually. I repeated such mantra several times in my head. Because of what we were about to do and the fact it was so silent, I experienced a type of tension, which I wasn't properly able to describe. Most likely it was the first time in my life I felt such intensive mixture of fear and excitement, which caused my body to stiffen up. If I were to be forced to run, I was certain my legs wouldn't cooperate with me. I would have fallen down and be caught. Argh… Why did I have to be so hopeless? Just why did I get myself into this mess with such a weak body? I swore under my nose and then, I noticed a movement between the trees.

Immediately, I stopped breathing. What was that? Was somebody besides me in this park? Stephanie? James? For a second, I considered calling out to them but then I realized it could have been someone else as well. Just in case they had ill intentions I tried to look for a weapon if self-defense was needed, however, as I quickly found out, all I had on me was the old lighter. I didn't smoke on my own but out of habit I always had it on me for Michael. Would it even come in handy? The least I could do with it was to attempt to set the potential assaulter in fire although succeeding in that was very unlikely. Nonetheless, I grabbed it tightly when I saw two rays of flashlight emerging. "Good evening, Ch. How are you doing?" Though it was somehow muffled, it was unquestionably James' voice, so I sighed in relieve. "Oh. You scared me. And what with that 'Ch'?" As the duet engaged, I prayed they wouldn't notice that I was still shaking. "Sorry. That idiot insisted to hide but it didn't strike me he had this in mind." Stephanie smacked James with all she had, creating an empty sound, which resonated throughout the park. "Calm down, S. I'll never do that again, I swear!" Despite his objection, he had been hit again and again. What an interesting relationship they had…

When they finally settled down, we went to the point and began to plan the operation. Thanks to services provided by their hacker friend, we were now in a possession of a detailed map with all security measures on it. Additionally, our mysterious helper was waiting for a signal to break into University's system to turn the alarm off for us for a short while. That would surely help, however, we couldn't afford to forget about the remaining nightguards. According to our intel, there should be two of them present, each with a designed section of the building and outdoors. They had their paths to patrol occasionally, therefore, once we would enter the campus grounds, we had to stay vigilant and remain in the constant move. "Alright, Ch. Take this one." James, currently known as J, gave me one of the small flashlights, they had with them. Abbreviating our names to their first letters was kind of silly and obvious, however, it was still better than nothing. Personally, I would feel more comfortable if we had masks on or something but I guessed we had to roll in like that. "Thanks." I nodded, kneeling down next to the hedge. Just how on earth I ended up taking the lead? I considered purposefully jumping behind Stephanie, although it seemed no longer possible. "We should contact him. Ch, can you check the hour?" James whispered. "Okay." I raised my head and turned in the direction of the university's clocktower. Midnight was about to fall down at us in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… And then, both of clock's hands met on 0.

Suddenly, a cold chill went through my body. An unnaturally freezing wave spread through the surrounding, forcing me into zipping my jacket to the end and even that didn't help. Never mind, I had to suck it up as there was something more crucial than my warmth right now. "Exactly mi…" I turned away to James to inform him but my words quickly transformed into an inarticulate screech. Paralyzed by fear, I dropped on my butt backwards. What was going on?! How?! Before I realized, I was strongly hyperventilating and felt like if I was going to lose consciousness any moment soon. James and Stephanie were no longer with me and in places where they stood just a second ago, two large brown coffins were now erect.

"Stephanie? James?" I meekly called out, though I wasn't sure my voice even came out of my throat. That wasn't possible… No… I refused to acknowledge what was in front of my eyes. The scene was like if taken straight out of a horror. And not only that. When I accidently gazed up to the sky, I saw the green sky and a huge greenish moon. Its size and closeness were like nothing I had ever witnessed. "Guys…?" No answer. I wished they would step from behind those boxes and casually laugh it off, however, it didn't appear to be happening. Were they inside of them? An idea crossed my mind as I slowly and unstably raised from the pavement. Frankly, I was too afraid to touch those coffins. It might have sounded even less logical than the whole phenomenon but I had an impression I would have been swallowed inside if I did that. Unable to think clearly, I began to frantically withdraw with no sense of direction. Was that yet again nightmare? That had to be. Soon I would wake up in my comfy bed at home. Yes… There was no way this could be reality. Hah. I wasn't insane. I wasn't… Though if someone were to see me, they would have been most likely of an opposite opinion. My behavior was highly erratic and despite being aware of it, I couldn't calm down anyhow. I had to get to safety. That was all I was able to focus on as I backed away in sheer panic. Michael, please save me! I tightened my grip on his lighter, begging for him to find me and rescue. Like always. He was always there for me, arriving at the last moment and protecting me, so today wouldn't be different. Yeah. It was only a matter of time. I chuckled and then, reached something with my back.

Its texture wasn't neither fully solid nor liquid. What could that be? Contact with it alone was petrifyingly chilling, so I jumped a few steps ahead and turned away. "A monster! Somebody, help me!" I screamed out at the sight of enormous being which was in front of me. Though it was dressed like a cop would have and had a gun and handcuffs, there was no way it was human. It had a giant hole in its stomach from which a golden key was hanging out. The monster growled and aimed its weapon at me. I knew reasoning with something like that wouldn't do anything but get me killed, so using what was left of my strength I began to run, chased by this monstrous policeman.

I didn't know for how long I kept moving but my legs were already giving out. I was on the verge of fainting when I entered some sort of a back alley. I had to lose all of them here or I would be done for! More and more of those monsters were closing up on me, including flying mouths with long tongues, armored knights on horses and similar. I felt that if I turned around to check on my pursuers that would have been the end. Besides, was it even important? Those things weren't friendly, so I didn't want to have anything in common with them. I had to run… Push my body past its limits, even if it was going to harm me later. I'd recover from anything… As long as I survive… "Shit! A dead end?!" No longer I was aware of what were my thoughts and what I said aloud when my last ray of hope had been brutally extinguished by the wall with several dumpsters next to it. Should I try to hide in them? It was useless! Those monsters would see me doing so as they were right there, locking my only escape route. In all of this bad luck, the alley I chose didn't have any doors or windows to break into. In other words, I was screwed, so why did I unexpectedly calm down?

Was it that I made peace with my own death or was there another reason for it? My stamina seemed to return, filling me with a courage I would never accuse myself of having. " **A power to defend oneself… Is there something wrong in wishing to acquire such thing?** " A deep voice echoed inside of my skull. Were those monsters hearing it too? I couldn't tell but they seemed to slow down. " **I do not think so. Not all of people are heroes ready to throw away own lives for the sake of others. You ought not to be ashamed for having such thoughts.** " My mind cleared up as with confidence I faced the incoming monsters. For some strange reason, I was perfectly sure in that I could beat them and a question how was I going to achieve that didn't cross me. I wasn't alone. I knew it. At that moment, a vision of a long nosed old man flashed in front of my eyes. He kept repeating something, though I couldn't hear what. However, I attempted to mimic movements of his lips and… "Per… So… Na."

A pillar of blueish energy surrounded me, shooting up to the sky. " **Very well, then. I shall grant what you desire.** " In trance, like if I was being possessed by some unknown force, I raised my right hand. It was covered by a dark blue mass which formed a glove reminding pattern. Simultaneously I grabbed the lighter and held it below my hand. " **I am thou and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I come from. I am Pothinus, Master of Puppets and together we shall prepare the most unforgettable performance.** " And then I flicked the lighter on.

Despite the fact my hand was caught in fire, I experienced no pain, instead focusing on levitating above me ghostly shape. Initially I thought it was a chandelier, however, I quickly realized it was a wooden column with a pulsing crimson eye on its top. On its bottom multiple hands were connected, each holding a set of strings such as were used to control marionettes. So, that was my Persona… Although I couldn't comprehend with what was going on, my body warmed up. Yes… There was no point in sinking into despair. With Pothinus on my side, I wouldn't die! I swung my flaming hand in the direction of my enemies and numerous strings shot at them. Some of them went through the monsters, tearing them apart, while other attached to the biggest targets. You might control those. Something was telling me, though I couldn't determine whether it was Pothinus' voice or my own intuition. Nonetheless, I issued an order aloud. "Attack!" An impulse from my Persona electrified the air around and soon after, touched by it monsters turned against their former allies. In a matter of a couple of seconds, what used to be a one-sided hunt for my person transformed into a slaughter among hunters themselves. I watched over the scene in satisfaction. This power… Wielding it was extremely easy, like if I trained just for this alone for my entire life. However, I didn't think it also had its limits.

Without a prior notice, the area returned to darkness and I dropped limply on the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut down. None of my muscles would budge, so all I was able to do was to helplessly spectate how remnants of monsters recovered from the chaos, remembering about their prey. Among their lines, the spider-looking one took the lead, mercilessly aiming its numerous arms with sharp objects at me. Soon it was going to sink them into my flesh… I thought. Why did my Persona abandon me when it mattered the most? I didn't want to die… Yet, it appeared it was indeed about to happen. The distance between my foes and my unresponsive body rapidly diminished. This time no miracle would occur. I was certain of that. I lost my only chance to survive through this mess and no hero in shining armor would show up to protect me now. Or… I held my breath in when a strong and decisive male voice rang out from above.

"Izanagi-no-Okami!" A thunder struck the ground as another Persona dropped from the sky. It was a warrior in a white suite who sunk his spear into the monster and destroying it with a single blow, charged ahead towards the remaining opponents. Soon after, it's owner – a gray-haired man in a black jacket joined the battle in a similar style, slashing monsters nearby with his katana. He was so fast that even if I wasn't that tired, I would have struggled to keep up. In no time he cleared out most of the alley but then, he backed off and raising his hand like if he wished to be high-fived, whistled. "Aigis, the rest is yours." "Understood." The response was nearly mechanical and came from my blind spot, from where a blonde woman with headphone-ish decoration on her head emerged. Were those prosthesis? I could see her limbs being joint like if she had been a robot in the first place. Wait, why didn't I question more the fact she began to fire bullets from ends of her fingers? Nonetheless, the person my savior named Aigis finished the job, calmly exterminating every of the lingering targets and successfully avoiding to hit the grinning in the midst of this man.

"I sense no more Shadows in the proximity." Aigis announced and then, she looked down. "Hello. We came to rescue you" "Yeah. Though if it wasn't for that light, we could have been too late. Was that a Persona?" The man asked. "I'm not sure but it must have been one." "I see… Hey, are you okay? What's your name?" He lowered himself to check on laying on the ground girl, however, then he realized something. "She's unconscious." Both him and Aigis simultaneously spoke up. "Well, who can blame her? Let's bring her to the Ark." He decided, gently picking up the white-haired girl.


	3. Velvet Room – Queen of Wands

**Velvet Room – Queen of Wands**

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room." Igor beamed at his guest as from his left side emerged his masked attendant. "You have successfully awakened to your new power. Persona which was summoned by you – Pothinus, is a representation of your soul or in other words, a mask you put on to face hardships of daily life." "And it seems you have tamed it. Congratulations." Igor clapped his hands and then, continued. "Your power is a peculiar one and I shall explain it in more details in a due time. However, first of all, please take a look around, Guest."

The Velvet Room changed comparing to Guest's initial visit. Some parts of the hall melted, revealing a large rusted clock on the wall behind Igor's back. Its hands were tied by numerous white strings, which prevented them from moving. "Nothing in the Velvet Room happens without a reason and each alternation is closely related to your fate. How, you may wonder. Feel free to interpret it anyhow you wish although future is surely going to bring the proper answer." Igor's assistant added, opening his book. "Anyway, do you know what kind of arcana Queen of Wands is? Upright it represents generosity, openness, and optimism about the future, while in reverse, it stands for insecurities and lack of trust in general. No wonder somebody like you have gained the power of this minor arcana." Igor chuckled, allowing his attendant to take up with explanations.

"As you might have already noticed, Queen's power is that to rule over Shadows, but is that all it can achieve? To bring up its full potential you must face yourself and triumph over things you repressed or wish to hide. Only then you may master it." "Also, you cannot forget about bonds with other people. They are the fuel which strengthen your Persona. Certainly, those you have just encountered will nod to that. Yes, what's most important can't be seen with one's eyes." Half closing his bloodshot eyes, Igor gazed intently at his Guest but then he smiled again. "I hope those words of wisdom shall come in handy. Remember, a decision to listen to them or not is entirely yours to make. We will never judge you or tell you what to do next. That's always been Velvet Room's policy. Nonetheless, it's time you went back to your own world. Until our next meeting, Guest. I'll be watching how your fate shall unveil itself. I wonder if you are going to prevent the incoming disaster…" Igor clasped his hands and the Velvet Room once again returned to darkness.


	4. Chapter 2 The Dark Hour (Yu Narukami)

**Chapter 2. The Dark Hour (Yu Narukami)**

I opened a soda can and took a deep sip out of it. Though it had been a long while since most of electronic devices stopped to function, this drink was still considerably cold. Great, as refreshment was exactly what I needed right now. Lucky or not, when it started, I had just arrived home from work, so I didn't have too much of rest before going out into town again. I'd have lied if I didn't admit I'd rather go sleep than that, however, I was glad I made this decision as thanks to that, we managed to save a person from being killed by Shadows.

Speaking of that girl, she was still out of it. I had Nanako take care of her as I went to meet others and after resting a little, I returned to the infirmary. "Big brother, you came back." Though she would always call me brother, we weren't actually blood related – we were cousins. "Yes, how's she doing?" I looked at sleeping on the bed white-haired girl. By all means, the fact she survived through it was very fortunate. I wasn't much of an expert when it came to medical expertise, however, even I could say that seeing how fragile she seemed to be. "I think she should be fine, but her hand is badly burnt. And something strange is on it too." "Strange?" I widened my eyes as Nanako pointed on girl's right hand. Despite the fact bandages were wrapped around it, a pulsing blue V pattern could be seen. I quickly recognized the style and color. Could it be from the Velvet Room? Though in the past I used to be its guest as well, no such signs were to be found on my body.

"Hnnng…" At that moment the girl groaned. "…Where am I?" She feebly asked when our eyes met. "Hello." A bit awkwardly I waved my hand to her. It wasn't like I didn't want to reply her, however, to avoid unnecessary confusion I had to carefully pace with information. First of all, I had to check how much of the previous events she was able to recollect. "I'm Yu. Yu Narukami. And this is Nanako Dojima. What's your name?" "Ch-charlotte Atkins…" After a short while passed, the girl introduced herself although instead of looking at me or Nanako, I noticed her sight focusing on something else. "Huh, you want some?" I should have seen this one coming. Her lips were terribly dried. "But you've drunk out of it already…" "Good point. Nanako, could you fetch something for Charlotte? And bring others on the way, please." "Okay, big brother." She nodded and instantly departed. Even though she was barely 15, Nanako grew out to be a very reliable person, didn't she?

"What's the last thing you remember?" Once we were alone, I leaned on the wall and finishing the drink, I threw the can into the bin. "I was running away from monsters. And then I fought them back somehow." Slowly raising to the sitting position, Charlotte let out a pained sigh. "Whoa, take it easy. You shouldn't overstretch yourself." Immediately, I rushed to support her from the side, but my assistance wasn't required. "I'm fine. I think." Even though she answered with a slight hesitation, I decided to step back. In the end, she knew how she felt the best. "Alright. Take your time. We will go through the situation in a sec, once someone who is more competent to explain it arrives." I said and then the door swung open and several people led in by Mitsuru Kirijo, who was already in her black body armor, walked inside. Because of that, it wasn't a wonder that Ms. Atkins freaked out. Seriously, I didn't blame her. Mitsuru might have had a strong personality, which once earned her a title of The Imperious Queen of Executions, although in reality she wasn't that scary. At least to her allies. Hoping that Charlotte would read my thoughts, I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Greetings. Sorry for intruding you at your sickbed in such numbers." Mitsuru tried to start a conversation in the positive tone, however, she was ignored, as the last person to enter the room interrupted her. "Charlotte?! What are you doing here?" It was Hajime Yuzawa of our technical squad. "Uncle? I could ask you the same." The girl nearly jumped up. So, they were a family, huh? "I work here. Don't tell me you have awaken to…" Mr. Yuzawa seemed to be genuinely shaken by seeing his niece. "About that. Sorry for getting into your reunion but there's something important I must talk to you. Your name is Charlotte, right? Is it okay if I call you this way?" Upon receiving a silent nod of intimidation, Mitsuru continued. "Do you know what Persona is?" "It's a mask of my soul. That masked guy who was with long nosed old man said so." Her response was instant and cleared up any doubts. She was indeed a guest of mysterious Igor and his Velvet Room. Though what about that individual she mentioned? Another attendant? In my times it was Margaret, so I was kind of curious who it was for her.

"That will make things easier…" The leader of Kirijo Group quickly recollected herself, pretending not to understand what had been just mentioned. "Anyway, I was told that you were assaulted by monsters, which we call Shadows. They are the exact opposite of what our Personas are, however, there's no time to get into more scientific details. The reason why they appear is that the Dark Hour returned. And in such form… We were aware that it was going to occur soon but the process had been somehow accelerated. We, members of S… No, I wanted to say, everyone in here work together to eliminate Shadows and stop the Dark Hour for good." "Yeah. In the past they used to be SEES and me and my friends were Investigation Team but those names aren't important now. We joined forces a while ago in a common objective. Oh, do you know of Phantom Thieves? They are also a part of the team." I added. "I do. They were even on TV." "Hah, yeah. Joker and his publicity. By the way, they already departed." Mitsuru let out a small chuckled and then fixing her white cape, she turned to Charlotte. "It might be impatient of me to throw at you so much during our first meeting, however, the circumstances demand that. Charlotte, you are also a fellow Persona user, so you should be granted the choice. I'll be frank with you. In the past Dark Hour was just a hidden 25th hour of a day but this one will never end unless we take action. Therefore, please, join us. We need your help, although we won't force you. Even if you say no, I swear it on my life and on my father's name that we will protect you until the whole ordeal is over. What do you think?"

For a while Charlotte didn't say a word. She was most likely going through everything she had just heard, so it was only natural. For a second I considered butting in to make others give her some time but it turned out unnecessary. "I'll help you. Don't worry, uncle, I'm fine." She silenced Yuzawa before he could even articulate his protests. "If you say so yourself…" He didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about that, however, that was all he ended up saying. "Sweet! Welcome to the team, Ms. Charlotte. I'm Junpei Iori." With a radiant grin on his face, a man in a baseball cap swung his arms. "Don't mind him too much though. That reminds me, we should introduce ourselves as well. My name is Yukari Takeba. Nice to meet you." "Ken Amada. Hi." "And I'm Yukiko Amagi. Pleasure to make acquittance."

"Well, the rest of us present you already know, but there are still more." Once everyone said their piece, I changed subject. "I thought bringing such a giant group would scare you, so you will have to meet them later. I'm sure they're looking forward to get to know you. A new Persona user is quite a big news nowadays… Nonetheless, you should rest for now. Let's give her some peace, guys." Mitsuru turned in the direction of the door but didn't move until everyone left, saying their get-wells. "Yu, there's a matter I must discuss with you. Preferably sooner, the better." She threw to me. "Okay." What could it be? Judging from her expression, that wasn't anything good, so I instinctively swallowed, while the head of Kirijo Group once again spoke to our freshly recruited ally. "Thank you, Charlotte. I mean it." And without waiting for a response, she departed out of the infirmary. Having no other choice, I followed her, leaving the girl in her uncle's and Nanako's care.

"Most of us are already here. Akihiko and Kanji are on the guard duty, Aigis is resupplying and others should be in cafeteria. Excluding some, like Rise, of course. I thought the two of you lived together." Once I finally caught up to her, Mitsuru began to count down our friends. "That's true, but she had a difficult performance today, so I wanted to let her have some sleep at least. Teddie and Yosuke will bring her once she wakes up. We were renting them rooms." Since our house was big enough, there was nothing against it. Especially since we were to gather in small groups in case of an emergency. "Good to know. Then we're missing only Fuuka and Naoto. I'm quite concerned about them." "About the latter. Due to her work she will be joining up with us later. She's with a reliable Persona user, so they should be safe." Especially since the aforementioned was a guy and a foreigner to that, I wondered how Kanji would feel if he learned that. Well, despite all of those years they didn't make any progress at all and were as awkward as they were in our high school days… "I see. That eases my mind a little. At any rate, Fuuka should have already been here. Her home is nearby, therefore, I allowed her to stay alone. Yu, could you go out again and look for her? Sorry for asking you although apart from Aigis and absent Phantom Thieves you're the fastest out of us here." "Thanks. I'm worried too, so that's fine. Is it okay if I bring one more person with me?" Though on such a short trip my Wildcard should be sufficient, it was better to have a trustworthy friend to watch my back. "Then I'll go with you." Suddenly a voice from behind called out to us.

"Charlotte? Why are you…?" Both of us were surprised to see her. Did her uncle let her go just like that? But on the other hand, unlike to the last time I saw her those few seconds ago, she seemed to be completely healthy. That was a truly astounding recovery, even as for a Persona user. "I could use some fresh air. I won't cause any problems, I promise." She chuckled a bit as I gazed in Mitsuru's direction. Was she that much shocked? Who would have thought? "If she says she's fine. Besides, she could use some battle experience, couldn't she? I'll watch over her." Many times I had seen Rise making a similar face, so I knew there was no point in arguing with Charlotte. Even if we were to deny her that now, she would most likely sneak out on her own. "I seriously envy you this adaptability…" Kirijo whispered and then faced her. "If he doesn't have anything against it, then neither do I. Good luck to you. Excuse me." She blurted out and like if she was running away from something, stormed out towards the conference room. "So, please take care of me, Narukami-sensei." Once we were alone, Charlotte smiled to me brilliantly. If I was a couple of years younger and didn't already have a fiancée, such smile would have surely made me fall in love with her. "Yeah. You got it. Let's prepare to head out."

Even though I said we had to get ready, there wasn't actually much to do. Just to pick up a weapon and some basic supplies if Fuuka or one of us got hurt. As always, I picked my katana. Ever since our journeys into the TV world, this had been my favorite, though it had several modifications comparing to its initial state, each added by Charlotte's uncle. He was truly a tech magician when it came to upgrading stuff. Speaking of his niece, she decided that she would be fine without anything but her Persona. I still didn't know how strong it was or how she could summon it, however, forcing her into taking an additional mean of defense wasn't going to work well. Those weapons weren't fake, so she should take her time to get used to them. No matter whether it was just a small knife or a firearm, a regular person wouldn't have one on them normally, therefore, getting comfortable with carrying them could be a lengthy process for some. I had to admit, even though I already spent a bit fighting Shadows, I still didn't like guns.

"Narukami-sensei, could you tell me more of this organization? I said yes, but to be honest, I still don't understand what you guys do." Insistent on calling me her teacher, Charlotte asked while we were passing through the middle of an empty street. Luckily, no Shadows were in sight, so besides those ominous coffins in where people who couldn't summon their Personas would stay until Dark Hour end, we were practically alone. "That's not really an organization. I'd rather call it three groups of friends cooperating with each other plus those we meet on the way. I guess that's quite hard to believe, although that's pretty much all to it. Mitsuru might appear to be the leader but in reality, everyone is equal." "A strength of one heart isn't enough but accompanied by many may do wonders, huh?" Charlotte mysteriously threw into the air although at that moment my attention shifted towards a meek cry, which came from the side.

"Is someone there?" Instinctively I moved between Charlotte and the source of the sound. Though it seemed like it was a small child, that could have been a trap set by an abnormal Shadow. Some of them were able to take on more advanced forms and to some extent, even influence human's cognition. "A little girl?" My companion curiously tilted her head. At any rate, she sure had a lot of guts as for someone who got thrown into this mess tonight. "Might be. Let's check it out." I nodded to her cautiously and began to engage on the crying in a sneaking manner. Charlotte followed me with her hands in pockets. "You sure we shouldn't hasten. The kid must be terrified." She said. "Ah, right. Good point." A bit embarrassed I straightened up. Even if it was a Shadow, I should be able to beat it with ease. As a wielder of the power of Wildcard, I was able to summon a variety of powerful Personas, thanks to which any potential resistances of a Shadow weren't that much of an issue. Alright, time to be a man. I made a resolution in my heart and with confident steps, rushed with aid to a weeping shape which looked like a young girl.

Nanako? For a second, I froze. The child was nearly a splitting image of my cousin when I met her for the first time, however, I quickly realized it was just my imagination. The girl was neither a Shadow nor Nanako. "Sakura?" Charlotte hurried to her side. "M-Ms. Ch-Charlie?" The girl's voice was hardly hearable. "I told you to drop the miss part. Of course, that's me. Are you okay?" "Uh uh…" "A someone you know?" Judging from how she was hugging her that was rather obvious, although I preferred to make sure. "Yes. That's my cousin, Sakura." A cousin? Could that be Hajime Yuzawa's daughter? So, they lived in the neighborhood? Good we had chosen this path then. "Where's dad? And mom?" Sakura weakly tried to look around but once she noticed me, she withdrew back to Charlotte's embrace. "Don't worry. That's a friend of mine and your father's – Yu Narukami. He saved me before too." "Dad's…?" "Yeah. Nice to meet you. He's doing fine. We'll take you to him soon." Trying to seem as friendly as I could, I slightly raised my hand. "I promise. C'mon. Let's go." Somehow, Sakura stood up and clinging to Charlotte's hand, she spoke up. "G-Good evening, mister Narukami." So, this was the might of woman's motivational skills? Truly a wonder as the whole ordeal wrapped up in like a minute and with an additional party member, we resumed our quest.

The silence of the night was overwhelming. Who would have thought it was the center of always busy Tokyo? Certainly, I wouldn't, if I was randomly put in such a setting. Because of that, I was glad Charlotte came with me. Going on a mission with a good friend could have been nice, however, making a new one seemed appealing to me too as Charlotte appeared to me as a reliable person. She was quite mature and despite an age gap, there was no troubles with communication on both sides. But more importantly, as Sakura's family member, she was able to ease poor kid's mind, allowing us to proceed straight to Fuuka's apartment without wasting time on returning to base. I didn't want to imagine the worst-case scenarios, however, that alone could turn out crucial. "How are you feeling? Most of the people are completely drained after awaking to their Personas, so if you need it, we can slow down a little." I offered without stopping the march. "I'm okay, Narukami-sensei. Thanks for your concern though." "It's very scary, but me too. I think…" Little Sakura replied as well. "You're a very brave young lady. Your father would have been proud of you." Upon hearing that, she beamed to me and then, continued her discussion with Charlotte. This sight reminded me of why I fight – to protect such smiles. No matter whether they belonged to my friends or strangers, every human being deserved to live and be happy, so for everyone's sake, we had to make sure the Dark Hour would never come back.

"We're getting close." In spite of the darkness, I spotted the number on the closest house. One or two more blocks and we should already see the place where Fuuka lived in. "I don't like the air around here…" Charlotte narrowed her eyes and looked around. So, it wasn't just my imagination? I felt something was wrong too but I couldn't name what. I regretted Rise wasn't with us. Her Persona – Kouzeon, was perfectly fit for navigation and scanning for enemies. Nonetheless, we should still be fine, however, just in case I unsheathed my sword. "Shadows?" Charlotte tensed up. "Be on your guard. I'll scout a bit ahead." I muttered in a low voice and entering a defensive stance, pressed a few steps forward. Just to peek what was behind the corner… Yeah. Though what was with that bad premonition? A part of me was screaming to take the girls and escape as fast as we could to ask for reinforcements. Geez, that was completely unlike me. That feeling should be a yet another reason to press further because if I was right, Fuuka could be in a grave danger. Preparing to summon a Persona, I slowly leaned forward but then, I was suddenly hit by something.

"Narukami-sensei!" The blow would have surely killed me on the spot if I hadn't blocked it with katana on the last moment. Despite that, I still had been thrown into the wall of the nearest house. "Hide somewhere!" Hoping that Charlotte heard me, I spat out a portion of my own blood. Something like that wouldn't stop me, I thought grasping my weapon with one hand and raising my eyes. The street in front of me was full of mid-level Shadows, however, in the middle of it was sitting a large one, which reminded an obese man in papal clothes with a seemingly female shape behind its back. On both of its sides there was a white cross and a set of dark tentacles. It seemed that one of them smacked me just now, so was this Shadow able to detect humans? If so, then I had to hurry and destroy it asap or Charlotte and Sakura would be in danger! Though the odds seemed not to favor me, I was going to give all I had!

" _Yoshitsune!_ " When I seized the tarot card, a warrior in red armor charged at my opponents, cutting through the weaker ones and finally, eliminating two of five tentacles. If the remaining three wouldn't have counterattacked me, he could have dealt more damage. " _Helel!_ " A horned angel blocked the incoming hits and in response fired a beam of light. I didn't check how much it managed to accomplish as the smaller fries began to surround me. " _Odin!_ " Thanks to the lightnings I gained enough room to break out from the trap but at this point I noticed there seemed to be no end in Shadows. No matter how much of them were disposed of, more were constantly taking their places. Crap! Alone I wasn't capable of finishing them off! For that reason, I had to risk it! Though it might have appeared as a sign of insanity, I rushed head on at the biggest of my foes. " _Izanagi-no-Okami!_ " Summoning my strongest Persona, I attacked the target, however, I didn't expect that a shield would have blocked it. A change of plans! I nearly shouted aloud and removing with a single slash of my katana standing on my path Judgment Sword, I entered the possession of the sieged house. With a well-aimed kick I opened building's door and heavily breathing, jumped inside.

"Yu! So, it's really you!" Fuuka Yamagishi descended from the stairs although there was no time for greetings. "Move this cupboard. It should stop them for a while!" I didn't mean to order her around, but I couldn't go too far while having to press the door closed with my body. Shadows were trying to break inside and no Persona would substitute for a wall against them. "Got it!" She must have understood the situation and hurried to do as she was asked. Though normally someone as physically weak as her wouldn't be able to succeed with such a task, during Dark Hour all stats of a Persona user were greatly boosted, allowing Fuuka to push the heavy piece of furniture without the need of emptying it first. "Are you alone, Yu? I tried to scan the area before and I thought three more people were with you." Three? Did I mishear her? Never mind that now. "Let's run for it, Fuuka. Do you have a second exit?" "Yes. But Shadows are there too. We won't go far." "That's bad. Or wait! I have an idea!" I grabbed her hand and headed upstairs. If both of the existing options were impossible, then there was only one thing to do. "Yu, what are you…?" "Sorry in advance. I'll pay you up for it later. For now, brace for impact!" I took her in my hands and running towards the window summoned the most suitable for the job Persona. " _Surt!_ "

The whole house shook as a firebomb created a hole in the wall big enough for me to jump through and pushed by explosion's aftershock, reach the roof of the neighboring building. Frankly, I didn't think that would work out so well… "Shadows incoming! They are pursuing us." I didn't need to have Fuuka's abilities to tell as much too. However, my goal here was already over, so I could focus on reuniting with girls and escaping. Speaking of them, I needed to discover their location. "Can you use your Persona to find the people I was with?" "I'll try. But it's hard to focus like that." She frantically looked away. At any rate, I could kind of relate to this feeling as simultaneously running, avoiding being hit and fighting back was challenging enough. "Then I'll buy you some time. _Thor!_ " A hammer parried the incoming tentacle, destroying it with an electrical discharge. Using this opportunity, I dropped down on the pavement. " _Asura!_ " A six-handed deity seized the attacking Shadow and threw it into the wall, clearing a path for us. "Someone is ahead of us. This reading! It can't be…" Suddenly Fuuka screamed out and before I had a chance to inquire for more details, I realized why she reacted this way.

In the middle of a foggy street stood a blue-haired boy in his school uniform. Even from this distance we could recognize the crest of Gekkoukan High on his breast pocket, next to which was hanging a headphone set. He aimed a gun at his temple and slowly pressing the trigger, opened his mouth. " _Pothinus._ " However, the voice belonged to Charlotte, who emerged out of mist with her right hand engulfed in blue fire. Her Persona launched a bunch of strings in the direction of our tail. "Yu-kun, duck!" A white two-headed axe was inches from decapitating me, but I dropped on my knees in time, protecting Fuuka from getting sprayed by tentacle's essence. "Labrys? Is that really you?" I thought she was stationed in a different town. "Of course, silly. More importantly, we've gotta fight!" "Good point. And hello again, Ms. Yamagishi." "You?!" Judging from Fuuka's reaction, those two seemed to be already acquainted with each other. I didn't need to know the details as there was currently a more urgent matter. Though alone I wouldn't be able to anything more, the situation changed. "I can destroy the barrier on the big one. You do the rest." Surprisingly, Charlotte calmly took the lead. If she was truly able to accomplish it, that was indeed the best course of actions. "We're counting on you. _Izanagi-no-Okami!_ " " _Ariadne!_ " "Yeah. Let's do this, guys. I'll scan our opponents."

Upon getting in contact with Charlotte's Pothinus, the shield cracked and burst around into fragments. That was our chance! Using this opportunity, I jumped into the fray together with Labrys. As she was in fact an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon and Aigis' older sister, she was far stronger than me and without issues she cut through enemy lines, while me and Izanagi-no-Okami took care of the survivors. In such a style, in mere seconds the extermination was practically over, leaving only the boss. " _Everyone, it's weak to wind!_ " Words which echoed inside of my head belonged to Fuuka. "Alright. Take this!" Labrys charged a hit on the Shadow. "I'm taking it down. _Norn!_ " The attack blew away everything in radius, including Labrys, however, the Shadow was still standing unshaken. It wasn't enough? How? I opened my mouth in disbelieve but then, Charlotte Persona's strings flew above me, impaling the last remaining target. " _Destroy._ " She said firing an impulse through them, which resulted in an explosion of the Shadow.

"Phew. A close one, huh?" I sighed. Though it looked as if it was over, I didn't get too cocky to lower my guard yet. "Yes. But we made it. Are you hurt? Sorry for overdoing it a little." Charlotte gazed with concern at me first and then at Fuuka, who clasping her hands nodded. "I'm fine too. What about you? And where's your cousin?" "Don't worry, Yu-kun. That girl is over there. See?" Labrys pointed out in the direction of the back alley from where Sakura Yuzawa was nervously peeking. Behind her was… "A Persona?!" A woman in crimson dress. So, she had awakened too? "I was shocked as well. But I saw it with my own eyes. How it happened, that is." "That was my fault. We were ambushed after being separated and I hesitated to use this power. That triggered her awakening…" Charlotte frowned. I could see she blamed herself for this outcome. "Although in the long run it played out smoothly, didn't it? If that lil' girl didn't accidently contact me on it, you bunch would've been in a tight spot now." "So, her Persona is also of navigator type?" Fuuka curiously looked at the child. "Seems so." Labrys shrugged her mechanical shoulders and then added. "We've gotta keep going. Who knows when more these bastards come this way?" She made a valid point. We should hurry, but there was something I wished to ask first. "Hey, Labrys, why are you in Tokyo now? Were you called out to help?" In reply, she stepped closer to me and announced, gazing intensively into my eyes. "No. I'm only on my way to report that Tohru Adachi had broken out of prison."

"He WHAT?!" With both of my hands I attempted to grab Labrys' collar, however, as her body was made of metal, I was unable to lift her. "Yu…!" Immediately, Fuuka dashed to me, trying to calm me down. It wasn't like I was afraid of him, although Adachi was a very dangerous and unpredictable man. He was the mastermind behind a chain of bizarre murders which took place in the small town of Inaba years ago, so I couldn't relax knowing that he was lurking somewhere, perhaps even plotting something. Last time, he wished to destroy the entire world just because he was bored, therefore, he had to be restrained as fast as it was only possible, before any crazy idea would cross his mind. "I'd appreciate if ya let me go, Yu-kun. The lock in his cell was busted and he knocked down the guards. It all happened before I arrived, so that wasn't my bad!" Damn it… She was right. "I'm sorry." I uttered and turned my back to everyone, giving a signal to depart back to base. I definitely needed to chill, so I hoped this cold breeze would help me. And then, I would apologize to Labrys once again.

Our main hideout – the Ark was in fact a skyscraper owned by Kirijo Group. On lower levels there was a luxurious restaurant, while higher floors offered a 5-star hotel, ending with our base at the very top. The name itself was quite symbolical too as not only it was the first ever building raised to be a fortress against Shadows, but it was also a place where Investigation Team, Phantom Thieves and Shadow Operatives, formerly known as SEES signed a pact of cooperation in one goal – to permanently get rid of the threat of Shadows in human world. We all knew it was now or never, because as Mitsuru mentioned earlier, this Dark Hour wouldn't go away by itself. "Wow. I still can't believe I'm in a place like this. Even in such circumstances." Said Charlotte as we were entering the Ark. On the way here, her cousin Sakura had fallen asleep, so now I was carrying her in my arms. Though she was light as a feather, I insisted to be the one to take her. Perhaps it was some kind of manly pride but I couldn't bear to watch girls carry stuff, especially if most of them seemed tired on their own. Well, excluding Labrys, of course, however, the fact she had a mechanical body didn't mean much to me and I found her femininity equal to Charlotte's and Fuuka's. Maybe Rise was right about me all along, huh? On every occasion she would mock me for being as she called it 'a too good to say no womanizer, though still cool and kind of adorable'. I didn't know about the last part although as long as I wouldn't become as helpless as Teddie, there was no reason to change, was there?

"'Sup, Yu-senpai. You guys brought more people too." The person in dark leather jacket who called out to us was Kanji Tatsumi, one of my friends from Inaba. "Yeah. Stuff happened. How was it when we were gone?" But the answer came from behind the stone pillar, followed by the repeating sounds of punches thrown into air. "A visitor. Mitsuru wanted to see you." He didn't even look at us while speaking, but I guessed if I were that famed boxer Akihiko Sanada, I would never waste training time too. "A guest…?" Despite the ominous premonition, I thanked them and led girls inside. The primary objective was to safely deliver Sakura to the infirmary and inform her father of what occurred. Only then I would go and see what was it about.

When it was finally done, I headed towards the office in which Mitsuru was supposedly waiting for me. I had to admit, the fact that I didn't know who was this alleged guest caused me to feel slightly anxious. Could it be him? No, there was no way he would actually waltz in here on his own volition. Then who it was? The only way to find out. Exchanging glances with Labrys, who had her report to make and Charlotte, whose account would finish my story from her perspective, I pressed the handle and opened the door. The first thing which we saw was visibly uncomfortable Mitsuru Kirijo standing on the side of her desk with her arms crossed as her chair was currently occupied by someone else. A white-haired woman in blue sleeveless dress and matching flight attendant-like hat dramatically turned around and slowly supporting her chin with her hands, rested her golden eyes on us. Oh, no… Not her. Please… I sighed in thoughts as she greeted us with a proud smirk on her face. "Welcome to the Non-Velvet Room."


	5. Chapter 3 In Order (Elizabeth)

**Chapter 3. In Order (Elizabeth)**

It costed me a lot of self-austerity and such a long time to prepare but it was truly worth it! I always wanted to have such an entrance scene, so in the end, staying motionless really paid out. Though during this wait an unexpected reflection struck me. If the time of human world had stopped, then in reality, how much I spent idle? A while, or perhaps nothing at all? I couldn't decide. Yes, a wonderful dilemma… On the side note, this wheelchair was quite comfy too. Or how was I supposed to call this piece of furniture?

"Elizabeth? I didn't think it would be you." Yu Narukami, one of the owners of Wildcard seemed to be surprised to see me. Aw, did he miss me? If so, then I guessed I must have already mastered his Social Link. Hmm… Let me see. Or not. Frankly speaking, I enjoyed this thrill of uncertainty in forming bonds with other living beings. Humans were especially fun in this category as they were more responsive in their usual interactions. As I learned recently, that was a special thing about them. That was unless the squirrel I attempted to make contact with ignored me on purpose because it found me a hindrance. "That's me in person. Or should I rather say to fit the mood – that's me in Persona." I chuckled and stood up with a spin. At that moment I noticed that Mr. Narukami had two companions at his side. With one of them I had already been acquainted in the past but the second picked up a great dose of my interest, so I marched towards her for a more advanced research.

This girl was very similar to me. Her hair was only a bit longer than mine and of the identical haircut, so I couldn't help but to feel like reuniting with a family member. Although it couldn't be it. Despite having a rather high power bar, she was certainly a human, not a fellow resident of the Velvet Room and seeing the color of her eyes was enough to determine that. "Umm… Can I help you with something?" Scratching her cheek, the girl widened the distance between us. My bad, I guessed. Perhaps I moved too close and threatened her personal space. Nonetheless, I already managed to grasp how her Pothinus worked. Probably for the first time in my life I witnessed a Persona of Queen of Wands Arcana. Regardless of it being a minor one, it was still one of the strongest of all known arcana. No wonder that with its abilities it eventually resurfaced in this environment. Though what about this weird spark in her pretty brown eyes? "…!" Uncontrollably I placed my hands on her shoulders and widely opened my mouth. "A speaking mirror. How marvelous! Can I switch my clothes in it too?" In order to avoid speaking up about my discovery, I decided to play out a little joke, however, before anyone had a chance to react, the door burst open again, killing the mood.

"Charlotte, everyone! Sakura is having a strange fit!" Another short-haired woman in a green hoodie screamed out. Ms. Chie Satonaka, I presume? Anyway, upon hearing her message, everyone panicked and hurriedly followed her. An emergency, was that? If so, then they should have asked me to create a faster path. I could simply destroy the floor and everything would have been easier... Never mind it now. As it was already too late to take on any hasty actions, I grasped my upgraded version of Persona Compendium and opening it on an empty page, I slowly made my way towards the source of the commotion which shook the heart of this facility.

"Please, do not worry! The nurse Eliza-death is here. Where is the patient?" In the past I didn't think I would even bother to do anything and I would have simply continued to be a spectator, however, all of the time I spent in human realm must have altered my personality, making me understand what kind of a feeling empathy was. But despite my sincerest efforts, no one seemed to even notice the fact I managed to transform into my old nurse cosplay. Too bad, although no hard feelings. Since the atmosphere was extremely tense, I clutched my thumbs and joined the gathered in infirmary circle. "Sakura! Sakura, can you hear me?!" The one who was kneeling next to the bed must have been this poor child's father. Around them were running Yu Narukami's self-proclaimed little sister and if I wasn't mistaken, Yukiko Amagi. "It's not helping. The pulse is not returning!" The latter lamented close to tears. "Try something else. Please, save my daughter, I beg of you…" Half-ignoring the unquestionable drama which was occurring in front of me, I noticed that my body-double was standing slightly behind, biting her lip. She must have been aware of the true problem as well, so she was probably trying to come with a solution. Would the Queen utilize her skills? She should have been able to succeed, but was she even able to use her power in the first place? I decided to let her choose her path as a sort of a test, nonetheless, if she wasn't going to act according to my expectations, I was going to protect this child's life anyway. As I patiently awaited the results of my small experiment, the girl suddenly opened her eyes and sprung up. Although her eyeballs were only showing their whites, she faced the Queen and whispered in a deep cold voice, unfitting such a cute young girl. " _ **Tonight, you shall die…**_ " And dropped back unconscious.

Not surprisingly, the room went completely silent and only sounds of delicate beeps coming out from the measuring Sakura's heartbeat machine could be heard. "Thank god…" Her dad let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that before any of us had a chance to do something, the issue resolved itself peacefully. "I will…?" The Queen was genuinely petrified and she had a good reason to be in this state. Sakura's Persona – Cassandra wasn't a regular navigator but also had one more feature to it, which had just demonstrated itself. How curious… Apparently, many interesting people assembled in this building, which made it worth my time to stop here instead of rushing towards the next goal on my own. "Prophecies often become real only because they are believed in too much." I sneaked behind Queen's back without others noticing it. "Then what should I do?" A part of me wished to give a funny answer, however, there were times even I had to be bed serious. Or something along those lines… "If I were you, I'd try to listen to Ma… Igor's advices. Though he's old and cranky, he sees more than all of us together." Whoops. Out of habit I nearly called the Long Nose my master again. I guessed Elizabeth could ditch her duties in Velvet Room but Velvet Room would never ditch Elizabeth. "Are you from that place too?" "That's all in the past. At any rate, what's your name, my dear look-a-like?" "Charlotte Atkins…" So, the Queen wasn't out of this beautiful land of Japan. I didn't know how important this was, however, I should memorize that. "Right. Mind if I call you Charlie? I have troubles with long names…" "Then how do you remember yours?" Good point… "I got used to it." I replied, hiding my embarrassment, though it wasn't necessary as at that moment her attention drifted towards the ruckus incoming from the direction of staircase.

"Guys, guys, guess who's back! Where are you hiding?" A colorful shape jumped into the infirmary, bear-ely fitting through the doorframe. "Ah, there you are. What's up? A beary welcoming party?" By all means that wasn't just a normal bear. It was a rather fabulous one, reminding more of a plushie than an actual bloodthirsty grizzly with whom you would wrestle in the forest. Speaking of this activity, even though it was perceived as a mainly manly task, I was willing to give it a shot if such an opportunity were to be granted to me. New experiences were definitely something exciting! "Read the mood, idiot bear! Can't you see something's bad up?" Another person kicked the bear and stepped inside with his hands in pockets. On his neck there were headphones, which reminded me of someone I knew, although what was this man's name? I had it somewhere at the tip of my tongue. Hmm… "Teddie? Yosuke?" Yu's surprised face brought it up. This had to be the famed prince from a distant country known as Junes - Yosuke Hanamura aka Captain Ressentiment. "Sorry and good evening everyone." Finally, the last of them arrived. For a second, I thought this line would have no end. And they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming… Should I say, Ms. Rise Kujikawa? Anyway, as the discussion regarding of what happened began and no one in particular paid too much attention to me, I decided it was a high time for me to move on.

I didn't fancy crowded places. Due to the differences in how I perceived the world, an invisible wall would always separate me from other people in such situations. Nonetheless, sweating such petty details wasn't exactly my style. Instead of dwelling on the unkind past I preferred to occupy my mind with exploration. Walking around the building I reached the cafeteria. Not a big shocker to find it temporarily abandoned, so using this one in the lifetime opportunity, I came up with a great plan to snoop around. First of all, I wished to experiment some more with an item called 'gas stove'. Unfortunately, the last one I was in possession of exploded, therefore, on this occasion I had to be more careful while trying to discover its properties. However, before I actually found one, I stumbled upon something even more fascinating! "An infinite source of drinks? Is it what some describe as a Fountain of Life?" Incredible… No matter how many times I pressed the button on this device, a can with liquid would drop down out of the hole and roll on the floor between my boots. "Not really. That's just a vending machine. It'll eventually run out of those." Oh, what a turn off… If the Queen Charlie was saying that, it certainly had to be truth. "I assume you wanted to talk to me, didn't you?" It was written all over her eyes. "Well, what if? Are you going to stay silent or give me a yet another cryptic answer?" She frowned, putting her hand on her hip. She must have been tired of riddles. What a short fuse to have… "That depends on what question are you going to ask. If the answer you seek is within my competences then I shall do my best to help you. Scout's honor." Even though I could have never been one in the first place, I raised my left hand into air. That was how it should be done, right?

"Then tell me something about my power, please. How does it work? How can I master it?" Straight to the point, I see? Not only she had a similar face to mine, but our characters also seemed to match. By a chance, could it be that we were sisters, who were separated after birth? "You should already know that. If the old man didn't grow senile since I last saw him. The bonds with other people strengthen your Persona." Or in simpler words, understanding different hardships of fellow humans and formulating them into own ultimate solution to life – gaining the Universe Arcana or its weaker counterpart – The World, although not many were capable of achieving such feat. "Yeah, yeah. Though how does it really work? I can't understand it at all." The Queen nervously bit her lip. It appeared to me that she had a great dose of darkness in her soul as well, so if she wouldn't deal with it soon, the prophecy made by Cassandra would truly fulfil. "Be on their side, listen to their problems and aid them when its needed. If it's opposite then remember to trust in them to help you in exchange." "But whom do you mean? Can't any of your kind be straight with me for once?" Charlie stepped towards me. If she couldn't see such obvious answer, then her fate was already sealed. "Your friends." "My friends…?" She hesitated, but I remained silent, allowing her to process her thoughts.

"H-how should I do that? Doesn't everyone go into those freaky coffins during the Dark Hour?" "That's correct, however, only in the majority of cases. This complex should be a living proof to my thesis." Wasn't a group of openminded people the best what she could hope for? These guys wouldn't even reject me, so someone not as eccentric as Elizabeth shouldn't have any difficulties with forming new bonds. Additionally, if I understood it well, that child from infirmary and her father were Charlie's family. "You're as useless as those two…" Gritting her teeth, the Queen kicked the nearest bin. Oh, my, how scary… I considered letting her go off somewhere, however, a sudden impulse struck me. "If you want to realize your true potential, then fight me." "Huh?" Ha, she didn't see this one coming and frankly, neither did I. This might have been just a whim but it could actually do the trick. "Duel me. Clash with me. Or bring the battle on. There are countless synonyms, so feel free to choose your favorite one." Smiling to her, I opened my Persona Compendium and several tarot cards flew out of it. The accompanying it surge of energy caused the closest furniture to be thrown away, forming a basic arena for our needs. "If you're not going to make the first move, then I shall. Ready or not, here I come!"

If I were to go with my full power, I would have annihilated her and leave not even dust, so judging from what she just said, 3 percent of my capability should be a right balance. Therefore, I summoned Siegfried, who ought not to be the most challenging foe, even though his initial attack missed only on purpose, letting the Queen to dodge. "You're seriously going to fight? Fine, bring it on. _Pothinus_." Her hand literally fired up for action. "Act with an intent to kill. Otherwise you will regret it." I taunted her. Though a miracle had to happen for me to be defeated, I'd prefer if she was going to give her utmost. In fact, I was doing it purely for her sake, so my dear Charlie, you better not disappoint me. I laughed under my nose once my Saki Mitama reflected the strings. By the way she fought, I concluded that she was still unaware of the fact that she was able to control other Personas as well. "Think of people precious to you. I bet there are some. If you truly desire to reach the peak of Queen of Wand's power, you must realize what drives you. Existing without a purpose or sense of own identity is pointless." "Stop acting all high and mighty! You don't know me!" And another counterattack. This time it had more brute force than precision, so one swing of Dominion's sword was enough. "Yet I am able to tell as much. Don't you think that speaks for itself? You're empty inside, my poor little Charlie. There's no love in your heart." At least as genuine one was concerned. Until she would realize that, any further discussion was utterly useless, therefore, I decided to end it.

" _Thanatos_ , finish her…" The god of death was a suitable Persona to remind someone of her mortality. In the end, all men shall die, however, as Charlie's example illustrated, some could voluntarily rush towards their demise. Of course, if the Dark Hour wasn't going to be removed, the whole planet would go kaput, but the prediction didn't mean it this way. "Nothing gets through this thick head of yours, does it? What a shame…" I sighed, spectating how Thanatos severed a bunch of strings and seized Pothinus' main body. He let out a spectacular growl and then, he pulverized Queen's Persona into the floor, adding a bunch of punches. As to be expected, this damage went through to Charlie herself, who dropped on the ground with a pained scream. Alright, I shouldn't go too far. Praying that the lesson I just taught her settled in her brain, I recalled Thanatos and at that moment, I heard multiple people running down the stairs in our direction.

"What happened? Are we under attack?" The first one to descend was Aigis, who curiously tilted her head. "Elizabeth? What's the meaning of this?" Yu threw me a distrustful a gaze. Uh huh huh. Busted. The situation surely made me appear as a villain, so I regretted not preparing a proper prop in advance. On the side note, I wondered what type of a mask would fit me more. Cool or mysterious one? Or perhaps both at the same time. "We were sparring. My bad for getting carried away." I grinned mischievously to them. "Oh, man! The whole cafeteria is ruined! Where are we going to eat now?" Junpei Iori grabbed his head in a dramatical protest. "That's not the main problem. Are you okay, Charlotte?" Our host reached out to the beaten Queen in an attempt to help her up, however, her hand had been unexpectedly slapped out of the way. " _Don't touch me!_ " Charlie blurted out, standing on her own. Her whole body was unnaturally trembling. Because of that, Mitsuru Kirijo stepped away. " _Just leave me alone! Stay away from me!_ " In a blind rage she spat out in a voice filled with hatred and then, she dashed out of the room before anyone could say anything. "Hey, Charlotte!" Mr. Narukami called out to her and if it wasn't for the fact I stopped him, he surely would have gone after her. With such a guy it couldn't be helped… "Don't. She's not her real self. We need to let her be until her Shadow calms down."

"Her Shadow?" In response I received a look from an 'are-you-crazy' series. Were they that blind or was my sight this awesome? Maybe I shouldn't judge. "Well, it seems to me that she coexists with her own Shadow in one body. If abyss gazes into you for too long, you gaze back into it." "Isn't it the opposite way?" Someone corrected me. "Perhaps…" Dusting up my dress I shrugged my shoulders. "Now she mentions that, I've seen her eyes changing their color for a brief while, but I thought that was just my imagination." "For real, Rise? Then it's yet another reason… If it goes berserk, she will be in danger!" "On the contrary, I believe we should listen to Elizabeth. Her judgment was always correct in those matters." Thank you, Ms. Kirijo. I truly appreciate your trust. I smirked under my nose. "Yeah. I'm sure that if you wait it out, Charlie shall come back on her own, stronger than ever. Self-refection is also an important part of life." Please be sure to mark my words, everyone. Without knowing what caused you to make a wrong decision, you will never be able to find the correct one in future. While saying those words of unquestionable wisdom, I opened the window and then, turned to the gathered. "Now, please, excuse me for a moment. I need to jump out in order to finish some business in town, however, I should return before the departure." I bowed to them and without looking on their expressions, I took my leave.

Of course, I could do it in a normal way, though to save time, I decided to take a less conventional exit. Frankly, such height wasn't going to do me any harm, so it was alright, I guessed. When I graciously landed on the pavement, I fixed the hat on my head and smiled to myself. "What the hell?!" Oh, so there was someone here? And in addition to that, he was very distraught as obviously, not every day such beauties like me would fall down from the sky. "Greetings, Mr. Tatsumi. And see you later!" I waved my hand to him and ran for it. Chit-chatting could certainly be entertaining; however, it had to wait until the work was fully done.

My first objective… I swung my legs to make myself more comfortable on the tree branch and searched through my pockets for a quest item. Hmm… Not here… But there! With a wild satisfaction I picked up a set of crayons and opened the Persona Compendium V2. Back then I only managed to finish up the initial sketch of Pothinus, therefore, for the peace of mind I had to put colors in and do the whole drawing of Cassandra from the scratch. Yes, that was the magic of this version of the book – it included only Personas I learnt about in the past or encountered on my path, each pictured in my unique artistic style. The first one I got from Igor in the Velvet Room had them all neatly printed out, but what happened to it? I didn't know definitely, although I must have lost it somewhere. Nonetheless, if it wasn't for that, I would have never discovered how enjoyable coloring was. Just like that and… Voila! With a proud expression on my face I closed the tome and dropped back on the pavement. I should have looked for a softer spot as in all honesty, because of the transfiguration which occurred during the Dark Hour, this tree caused my bottom to sting a little. Too bad I didn't bring a cushion… Anyway, I should continue moving forward.

Eventually, my destination – Tokyo Tower, appeared in my field of vision. Well, it was kinda tall and stuff, so in fact I could see it already for a while but let's not get too deep. What truly mattered was the fact that I was finally standing at its bottom and could enter the FootTown – the four-story building functioning as the first step on the journey towards the very top. I stopped in front of its glass door and waited. This had to be a famous automatic door device, so it would open on its own soon. A minute passed… And a bit more… However, nothing occurred yet. Did the door decide that I was unworthy of stepping inside? That wasn't good news, although I had to get in there at all cost. Something very important was hidden in this structure and I had to collect it, so such an obstacle wouldn't discourage me. I rolled up my sleeves, or I would have done so if I had them and gazed above. Apparently, it seemed that I was forced into taking drastic measures and had to climb all the way up. Not a challenge for me, therefore, temporarily replacing my usual hat with a hard one, I began to climb.

So far, everything was playing in my favor. No Shadows were to be found in the vicinity and I didn't have a fright of being in high places. I was thankful especially for the latter as according to my estimations, Tokyo Tower had nearly 333 meters. Just imagining how would it end for me if I were a regular human and my hand slipped was making me shiver out of excitement. Perhaps I should do a small simulation after I successfully retrieved it? It wouldn't harm to try as I was currently reaching the peak of this metal mountain. "Now, where it was?" I muttered, humming a familiar aria. I sought an itsy-bitsy tiny orange button which would open the frame. Got it! I pressed the bad boy and watched how it unlocked the secret stash with the silver shape of a gun inside. It was an Evoker – a tool formerly used by members of SEES to summon their Personas. This particular one belonged to Minato Arisato – the boy who years ago sacrificed himself for the sake of whole human kind and became the Great Seal, preventing Erebus from getting in contact with Nyx. For a long while it was kept by Aigis, however, once its special properties had been discovered I insisted on concealing it in a neutral location. Why? Just for surprises like tonight's. Thanks to that, it was hard to access for any potential antagonists who were to be after it.

However, at the moment the tower shook in its base. Because of that, Minato's Evoker slipped out of my grasp, falling straight towards the mouth of the stationed underneath beast. "My, my. So, you can show up in this world too? I guess you have grown enough to do more than hastening the Dark Hour." It was my good old nemesis – Erebus. Was it just a coincidence or was it purposefully after the gun? That didn't matter. I couldn't afford to lose it or everything would be lost, so without hesitation, I dove after it, opening the Compendium. Unless I wished to be swallowed by the darkness, I needed to summon a flying Persona fast enough to grab the Evoker before it was too late. "Go, _Pixie_." Although such weak fairy had no chance of catching up, so I needed to try again. Dammit, Elizabeth! You have to focus. This might have been his belonging in the past, but currently it was just a weapon of mass destruction of evil – the only hope humanity had for awaking out of this nightmare. My judgment couldn't be swayed by sentiments and feelings. " _Horus._ " The hawk representing Egyptian god of sun reached the gun in no time and flew back to me with it in its claws. Perfect. Now I had to make it to safety on my own.

I groped the first metal pole in sight. Due to the initial fail I was already below the half of the total height of the construction. Though Erebus still couldn't reach me here with its physical attacks, I was far from being safe. It could demolish the Tokyo Tower anytime soon with the long-range beam, which was slowly being charged. I should probably wrap it all quickly to prevent this wonder of architecture from being destroyed by this savage. I had been repeatedly doing it each year, so even with it being buffed like that, I shouldn't have any problems as long as I could use Thanatos. Speaking of this deity, I made a mistake of summoning him during my duel with Charlie. In order to eliminate Erebus, he required to be in a perfect condition and I foolishly wasted a part of his stamina. Despite the fact it was only a small fragment, for that reason he wouldn't be able to finish the job properly. Even though, I had to try anyway. It would have been certainly a pleasing news to bring to my allies if I won, however, it wouldn't change the fact that it wasn't its main body, which had to be continuously assaulting the Seal. Basically, what it meant was that I faced the projection of Erebus, not its full power, but no matter how complicated it sounded, I shouldn't think about that. It had been a while since I exercised so much during one evening…

The battle was fierce, however, in the end the victor could be only one – Elizabeth. Proudly puffing up my chest I gazed on the effects of the fight. Somehow, I managed to more or less preserve the natural beauty of this industrial landscape. Some cover-ups would be needed to hide all of these craters but I would leave that to Miss Kirijo, as on the last occasion I attempted to come up with such a story, it caused more troubles than good. My ego wasn't hurt in that incident, although I understood that everyone had their own specialty to which they should stick. At least from what I knew about myself so far, mine was knowledge about Personas and their properties, nothing else, nothing more... Taking off my gloves to get rid off annoying debris inside, I turned my back to the field. With that out of the way, I could return straight to the Ark.

Fortunately, the trip finished with no further nuisances and soon after, the building appeared in my sight. For a moment I pondered how should I prepare my glorious come back. Previously I sneaked in with a box on my head and I couldn't afford to recycle this idea. It was crucial to keep surprising your environment, especially as this chapter of my life might seem to some as rather monotonous. Therefore, what to do? What to do? Oh! I should climb the building from the side! Hopefully, I wouldn't trigger any trap cards as some had been installed there against Shadows. As I wasn't one, there wouldn't be a problem, would there? Full of optimistic thoughts, I began to slowly ascend. How I did that? I shall leave it as my sweet secret…

Not without a reason I chose the wall with windows. Each of those glass panels unveiled a new story, which was one of the kind and though the scene inside could repeat, each room was in fact a different, separate space! For the first several floors I didn't spot anything which would pick up my interest, however, after a while it changed, when I reached the armory. Inside of it were two robot-siblings – Aigis and Labrys. They were discussing something although it wasn't possible for me to hear what. Or… From movements of their metallic lips I read that packing weapons was the topic. Ah, so I made it in time. Good to know. At any rate, in spite of how much I admired this duet and their will to live, I had to abandon them for now and proceed up.

Next stop I made was the common room. From what I could see, most of the group was here. Some like Yu and Rise were busy with moving stuff, while others focused on resting, sporadically joining the work. Such harmony… Such cooperation… This picture portrayed why exactly those people managed to survive the ordeals they were once put through. Strength of one heart would never budge heavy enough door but if many were to try, they would surely succeed. Unless a certain someone was going to remember that, only grim clouds would accumulate above this world. Whoops, I stayed here for too long and Kenny-boy noticed me. Before he had an opportunity to alert his comrades of my presence, I sent him a farewell smile and went up for another pitstop – the infirmary, however, there I decided not to get into father-child privacy and quickly rushed towards the roof.

"… sure of …? Will … be safe? … think that …" Scraps of a conversation reached my ears as I finally placed my feet on a horizontal surface. But to whom this voice belonged? Due to it being muffled, I couldn't recognize the owner. "Unfortunately. If … die, they will be … dead." My, how ominous. Although thanks to that I managed to locate the source, which originated from behind of this metal chimney-thingy. Or how it was supposed to be called? Nonetheless, when I peered out, I saw the Queen sitting on the ground. She was tightly clutching her legs, trying to hide her red face in them. From that I concluded, she had been crying or was on the verge of doing so. "Hello, Charlie. Fancy meeting you here." I stepped out of shadows. "It's you again… Did you come to mock me too?" Too? Opposite to what my senses suggested earlier, the surrounding didn't reveal any signs of other people nearby. Then did my imagination act up? "No, of course, not. I just returned from a casual midnight stroll. Why would I do such a thing in the first place?" Frankly, I somehow grew fond of this girl, not only on the visual ground. To me she was a little lost lamb, but would she seek for guidance to escape from created by herself labyrinth? "…" Charlie didn't reply, therefore, I sat down next to her. "What are you doing?" "…" This round was my turn to leave her hanging with mere three dots. "You're strange, you know?" "I know." The rapid response from my side threw her off balance, however, shortly after she giggled.

"But I wish I was more like you. You can tell anything you have on mind without any problems. And I? Ugh…" She let out a heavy sigh and then, continued. "Even talking to you like that is hard for me. No matter how many masks I put on to cope with the society, deep inside I am this pathetic selfish bitch, aren't I?" "Even if, so what of it?" "Huh?" Charlie looked at me in disbelief. Most likely she must have been expecting to hear something entirely reverse. "You are you and you're the only you who exists, so don't be afraid of your own feelings. Unless you fully accept them, they will torment you like a thorn prickling your heart. This pain will gradually accumulate, making you suffer." "Sounds sweet although it's not that simple. No one would accept the true me…" "That's your opinion. Have you actually tried to give anyone a chance to do so?" She gazed at me like if I was crazy but it didn't faze me at all. "Bring all you have on me. I'll listen to every each of your worries. No matter how wicked you're trying to make yourself appear to be, I won't reject you." "…W-why would you say such thing?" My interlocutor seemed embarrassed. "Isn't it simple, Charlie? Because I want to be friends with you." "Friends?!" "Yeah. That's the gist of it. Shouldn't we, pretty girls stick together for the better and worse?" "Please, don't say stuff which sounds like if we were getting married…" Her protests quickly transformed into a laughter. Although it was still a weak and sad one, a spark of hope was to be indeed found there. "So, let's head back inside, Charlie." I stood up and reached out to her. "But I made a scene back then… I'm sure they hate me now." "Then let's apologize, together. It was mainly my fault for provoking you anyway." Therefore, it was high time to reap what I sow too. "Elizabeth…" Charlie's eyes became watery; however, she still accepted my offer and grabbed my hand. Unexpectedly, she pulled herself even closer, burrowing her face in my chest. "Thanks… For everything…" "I don't need it. I haven't done anything in the first place." That was true. Encouraged by me, she was the one to take this initial step on the path to recovery and by all means, I intended to continue supporting her.

Afterwards, we went downstairs and bowed our hands to others. Not surprisingly, because of her genuine regret Charlie had been easily forgiven, but as long as I was concerned, it didn't play out as smoothly. I was made to promise that I would no longer go around and pick up fights with everyone and additionally, I had been forced into working double as hard on packing, so for that reason I made sure to diligently finish this task. Though it wasn't a big problem for me to gather everything and carry at once, I decided to do it in small portions, like if any regular person would. In the end, this was my punishment…

"Phew. That should be the last of them." I exhaled when I filled bus's trunk with the red ammo box. With that out of the way, it was time for something more pleasant, so I widely opened the door of the vehicle and entered it. Inside I could already see everyone present. Mitsuru and Akihiko in the drivers' cabin, while others were sitting spread into small groups. Among them I spotted Charlie, who was discussing something with Rise Kujikawa, Yukari Takeba and Teddie. For a second our gazes met and then she smiled to me, returning to her conversation. What a relief to see her getting along. Nonetheless, I grabbed the microphone and spoke to it. "Everyone, may I have your attention, please? I'm Elizabeth and I shall be your host during this journey. We are ready to rock'n'roll! The destination is Iwatodai City's old dormitory, so let's give our best!" However, it seemed that no one besides Aigis shared my enthusiasm as she was the only one to clap to my briefing.


	6. Chapter 4 To Remember (Aigis)

**Chapter 4. To Remember (Aigis)**

Even though returning to this city kind of hurt deep down, I tried not to think about that. No matter how nostalgic it felt to be here again, I had to focus on the mission and not allow myself to be lost in memories. In the end, we were also doing this to fulfil the promise to protect this world at his side, so importance of this task doubled in my heart. In spite of passing years, my feelings towards Minato didn't change a bit and especially since Elizabeth claimed that there was a way of relieving his soul from the duty of the Great Seal, I intended to do my best. Regardless of the fact whether he was going to return to life or not, my resolve wouldn't change. He wouldn't wish for us to mourn him for another time… "Aigis, you seem very restless, did something happen?" Charlotte asked me out of concern. "No. It's just… It feels strange to visit this place." Hesitating with my reply, I lowered my sight. She wasn't there with us and she didn't know him, so although she was informed earlier of what took place then, she would never fully understand this emotion. It wasn't like I held it against her, but as in some ways Charlotte was very similar to Minato, so it was hard for me to discover how I should act around her. Charlotte's eyes were filled with as much sorrow as his, however, she still tried to be optimistic, even after all what she was put through tonight. "Sorry…" She awkwardly looked away. "There's nothing you should apologize for." Fortunately, at that moment the bus stopped abruptly, saving us from this troublesome situation.

"Ouch! Can you watch how you drive, please? I could die here!" Yosuke groaned, slowly standing up from the floor. He hit himself in the head, but it didn't seem like he gained any dangerous wounds. "That's why you should use your seatbelts. Anyway, the road's blocked, see?" All of us turned in the direction of the front window to check out what Akihiko meant. "A metal fence? Why is something like that here?" Yu scratched his head, waiting for Mitsuru's explanations. From what I remembered, she was supposed to prepare some security measures in the area, although from her reaction I could deduct it wasn't that. "It makes no sense…" Crossing her hands, she scanned the barricade and after a while, spoke up again. "Look, there's some kind of a symbol there with letters underneath. Let's go and investigate it." "You mean go out?" I double-checked it with her. "Yes. Then will make the decision." Mitsuru declared and did as she said. Some of us, me including, followed her outside.

"Guardia N? And they say the town is under control of the government? What a nonsense…" I could understand Mitsuru's frustration. "I take it that you never heard of such an organization." Yu attempted to analyze the evidence in front of our eyes. "No, though it just may be a secret unit. Even with my connections it's not entirely impossible. Nonetheless, that's not going to stop us. We'll search for a detour." She frowned, turning around. "I believe that you will only waste your time. The whole area is full of these. We scouted ahead and I can assure you that it's the moment to abandon the vehicle." Suddenly, a calm voice emerged from the side of the nearby building. "Naoto? Good to see you." Yukiko greeted the detective, who took off her blue hat in order to give us a slight bow. "You too, guys. Sorry for separating from the group in such a decisive moment. Fortunately, I brought some reinforcements to compensate for that." Two more people appeared on her side. The first of them was a woman with medium-long auburn hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a long orange sweater, which had a pocket on waist level. "Hey. It's been a while…" Minako Arisato greeted us with a sad smile. Last time we had seen her was when her brother lost his life, so I didn't expect we would ever meet. "Well, long story short, we just encountered her a few moments ago. She saved our asses from Shadows." The second member of Naoto's party added and even though I had already talked to this tall black-haired man before, I didn't know his name. All I heard about him was that he was ace Persona user from overseas. He seemed to have something more to say, however, he unexpectedly froze. "Michael?! What are you doing here?" Charlotte jumped out from the bus with a shocked expression on her face and rushed in our direction. "Charlie? I could ask you the same! I didn't know you could use a Persona." "I awakened to it tonight. But more importantly, didn't you say you were on the way back from a business journey? Why are you in Japan then? And with those two girls?" "That wasn't a lie! You know, I kinda couldn't tell you more as Personas are kept top secret." "It makes it easier if you're already acquainted. But for others who didn't meet him yet, this is Michael Runcorn. He's been gathering intel for us in America." Mitsuru clarified. "Yeah. Nice to meet yall again. And not to mention, I'm Charlie's boyfriend." He added proudly and embraced Charlotte, who immediately calmed down and hugged him back. "Though you've gotta tell me everything from now on. No excuses." "Yes, of course, my dear." And so, they sealed their reunion with a quick kiss. To be honest, witnessing that even in such environment love could still blossom was very reassuring and I was sure that if Minato watched over us, he would be happy to see we didn't lose hope.

Eventually, we listened to Naoto's advice and collecting as much of baggage as we could, we headed towards Iwatodai. As everywhere was equally dangerous, Hajime Yuzawa with his still unconscious daughter joined the march. Even though he couldn't summon a Persona, he was capable of self-defense with the Anti-Shadow gun of his creation, so in fact, only his child required real protection. Speaking of her, Sakura-chan still didn't open her eyes and because of that, I was sincerely worried. She might have been only a young girl; however, she already suffered a lot of nightmares of the Dark Hour. Luckily, her father and her cousin were present, so despite not knowing what happened to her mother, her mind would have certainly been at slight ease. "Aigis, do you have a second?" Suddenly, Yu appeared from the side, bringing my thoughts back to reality. "Yes. Is there anything you need?" I turned to him with a smile, although Yu seemed to have a serious business as he lowered his voice. "Something's fishy. Though I can't tell what yet." "What do you mean? About this Guardia N?" I tilted my head. "That's partly it. For some strange reason, I feel like if we are being led straight into a trap." "I think I get it. Not a single Shadow had been in sight ever since we reached the town." As a matter of fact, that was highly suspicious. Like if Shadows ran way from this location. "You do? That's good. I hope it's just my imagination but I want to be ready. It's not like I distrust anyone of us, however, if something is indeed up, we with Wildcard should be on guard. Especially as Elizabeth disappeared again somewhere…" She did? Ms. Elizabeth was an interesting person with own set of rules, only she was able to fully understand, although I was sure that she would come back when it mattered the most. "Okay. Copy that." I nodded to Yu and at that moment, I noticed Yosuke and Chie, who were on the vanguard, signalizing to hide.

"For real? Are there really people besides us here?" Once we already gathered in one of the back alleys, Kanji scratched his head. If my memories were correct, this place should be quite close to the dorm, so did it mean that this mysterious organization found out about the Abyss of Time hidden underneath it? If so, then what were their intentions? Were they our allies or perhaps…? For a second, I reminiscent upon Yu's words. "Seems like that. Fuuka, Rise, can you check?" Mitsuru inquired and the two of them summoned their Personas. After a short while, neither of them had any positive news for us. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. It's as if the dorm became a separate space." The first of them informed but our second navigator had some more to say. "Traces of a single Persona usage may be spotted. They are very recent, if not occurring as we speak." "What?!" Minako expressed her bewilderment. "There's no way of telling for sure. Guys, there's only one thing we can do – go inside and find out the truth." "Seriously? Is it a good idea to barge through the front door? Shouldn't we try to sneak to take a peak first?" I had to agree with Michael's remark. Rushing things up could sometimes end tragically and we couldn't afford to make mistakes at this point. "No. That's a waste of time. Let's go in and kick their asses. I'm already fired up!" Akihiko jumped up, throwing several punches into the air. "Heck yea! I'll show them the power of my mighty round-house kick!" His enthusiasm quickly spread to Chie and as to be expected, it didn't take long until the whole group reached a conclusion. "Fine. Let's do this then…" Giving up on further argumentation, Naoto let out a sigh, which turned into the signal to attack.

Me and my sister agreed to lead the charge, so when she was preparing to kick the entrance door open, I covered her back with my guns. "Alright. Let's roll!" Labrys announced and so, our entire group stormed into the building in a battle formation, however, as we quickly noticed, such caution wasn't necessary. "It's like a freaking battlefield." Michael gazed around on multiple people in white armors laying on the ground. "Are they dead?" "No, Yukiko. I believe that they are just knocked down." Or at least, that was what it seemed to be according to my sensors. Their vital signals were weak but stable, so there shouldn't be any threat to their lives. "Look, they have Guardia N's triangular emblem on their outfits!" Fuuka pointed out, however, I ignored that as my attention was caught by something more important. "The trail of destruction leads towards the passage to the Abyss of Time." Which was in fact open. Though it was hard to believe, it indeed reappeared in the exactly same form and position as back then. "Damn it! Don't tell me that even more parties are involved now." "Calm down, Mitsuru. We've got this!" "Although what if we go in and get ambushed from both sides? Shouldn't we explore this location beforehand?" "Yu's right. As long as there's a risk, we shouldn't forget about taking proper countermeasures." The one to support this plan was Naoto. "Yeah, though how should we do that?" "Why don't we spread? It'll be faster. What? Why are you looking at me like that?!" "That's a great idea, Chie! Let's pair up for safety too. So, who's willing to volunteer?" "Me and Charlie will stay here. We've never been in this building, so we would only get into your way." The first one to formulate his opinion was Michael. "I can take the roof and the 4th floor. There's something I want to check in there anyway. Kanji, care to tag along?" "Huh? M-me?" He reacted awkwardly, yet still nodded and joined her. "Then I'll visit the 3rd floor. This may be kind of fun." "Yeah. Is it okay for me to come along?" And so on, the second party formed out of Mitsuru and Yukari, which left now only the second one.

Not surprisingly, the atmosphere tensed up. In the end, boys' rooms were on that level and among them – the one which used to belong to Minato. Perhaps even after these years each of us felt uneasiness at the thought of crossing through the door of his former residence. Despite the fact this dorm had been used later by the next generation, Minato's room number 6 had been locked up and kept as it was before it, like if he was eventually going to return to it as if nothing happened. "Aigis, Minako, will you…?" Not sure of how to politely formulate the question, Mitsuru wavered. "Okay…" Minako agreed, though her expression was rather grim. Since she was his sister and the only remaining member of Arisato family it must have been the most appropriate decision for her to be chosen, but what about me? Minato was certainly a precious friend, who taught me how to be human, however, I still felt anxious about that. In spite of having coped with the loss previously, the past wounds on my heart seemed to suddenly reopen and Labrys must have noticed it. "You don't need to force yourself. I can substitute for ya." "No need to. I'll go myself. Come on, we should hurry." Trying to sound as normal as it was possible, I headed towards the staircase. Other pairs and Minako followed me in order to get to their designated floors.

At first, both of us had a difficult time finding the common ground for conversation. The surrounding and circumstances surely had their impact on that, although the real reason lied somewhere else. Basically, it was my guilty consciousness, which I couldn't get rid off. Despite the fact the last time I saw Minako was several years ago, she should have still been an important friend in my eyes but somehow, I wasn't able to stop being wary of her and I blamed myself for that. For some strange reason, my intuition was telling me to be careful, however, this had to be aura from the Abyss of Time making my perception paranoiac. There was no other explanation. "Alright. 4 is clear. Let's move on." Minako smiled to me. Unlike me, she appeared to be returning to her old cheerful behavior patterns. "Good to know. The majority of rooms had been emptied, so it shouldn't take long." "Yup. By the way, where's Koromaru?" "Unfortunately, he passed away last summer…" And his funeral was a grand one. "Oh, that's depressing… He was such an intelligent dog. I wish I could have seen him that one last time." Minako removed tears from her cheeks with her sleeve and then, changed the topic. "Anyway, this one was Junpei's, right?" "That's correct. Junpei used to reside under number 5." "Heh. Then I'm glad we won't be forced to go through all of his mess. Geez, I remember those piles of clothes laying all over the floor… Mitsuru once thought that somebody had broken into the dorm after seeing it." "She did?" I didn't remember such event, so perhaps, it had occurred before I awakened. "Yeah. It was hilarious to be honest. Though, on the other hand, kind of sad. I'm glad that they started getting along a bit better after it." She laughed and then opened the door.

Searching through the number 5 went as smoothly as we anticipated and this way, all what remained was Minato's room. "I thought I'd never go in there again…" Minako swallowed loudly and placed her hand on the steel handle. She couldn't know the truth behind her brother's death, so it must have been hard for her, although I shared this experience in a way. Minato… A part of me longed to see his smiling face on the other side, however, I knew well it wasn't possible. He was chained down there, in depths of the Abyss of Time, protecting us all and that was why I should recollect my composure. Though tears were willing to flow down out of my eyes, I forced myself to stop them. In the end, tonight we were fighting for his sake as well. "We should hurry." I hastened my partner. "Right…" Looking down in dejection, Minako pushed the door forward, allowing us to walk in.

The room remained exactly like I remembered it and only visible layer of dust revealed that no one actually lived here for years. "It's clear." My voice cracked as I was no longer able to contain my emotions. "Aigis, you're crying!" Despite the fact her eyes were as watery, Minako gazed at me with disbelief. "Yes…" If I hadn't met her brother, I would have never been able to have such feelings. I was a machine… Yet he put a heart of a living being inside of my metal chest, making me able to feel the joy of existence and its struggles and pains. Living without those would probably be easier, however, those emotions were what truly made life special. "He always seemed so gloomy, but he was still awesome. Dark Hour caught us outside on the night when we first arrived in Iwatodai. I was scared and could barely walk, yet he… He grabbed my hand and led me straight to the dorm. None of it seemed to bother him." That sounded exactly like Minato. This boy was the bravest of us all and his kindness knew no boundaries. Though his relationship with Minako wasn't perfect all the time, I knew that he deeply loved and cared about his sister. "Agreed. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't even be here now in the first place." "This stupid brother, what did he think dying off like that?" Unable to stay calm, Minako dropped on the bed and covered her face sobbing. I knelt down and comforted her with a hug. "Aigis… Why all of them left me? Parents, Minato… Why do I have to be alone? What have I done to deserve this?!" She was currently undergoing a mental breakdown and I was able to relate somehow. In the past I went through the identical state, but then, he reminded me of how wrong I was once again and I not only inherited the power of the Wildcard, but also was shown a path to my own answer. Answer to life, thanks to which I could speak to Minako with full confidence. "You're not alone. You've got us." "But I left… I ran away from everyone…" She shivered. "That doesn't matter. We will always be your friends. No matter what." After all we went through, bonds between us were inseparable. I wanted to tell her that, however, at that moment an unexpected sound of Minako's growling stomach interrupted. "Oops. I guess I'm hungry… How anticlimactic." She giggled nervously and her cheeks reddened out of embarrassment.

Once the two of us finally cooled down, we returned to the lobby. "It took you worryingly long. I was about to check on you, guys. Did something…?" Yu blurted out of the instinct, but Rise, who must have understood the situation faster successfully silenced him. Seeing that, me and Minako exchanged gazes and laughed a bit. "What truly matters is that all of us are here. Anyway, let's get over the details again. We don't have much, so it shouldn't take long." Yosuke initiated the conversation and so, each of the groups repeated their reports. Similar to us, Yukari and Mitsuru didn't discover anything special, however, Naoto and Kanji had something more interesting. "Somebody went through the former meeting room, most likely in search of still unknown to us item or information. Also, we found more of unconscious and brought them here." She said and pointed on a provisional hospital wing I didn't notice so far. "Therefore, it must have been either a rebellion or involvement of another group. Though it doesn't look as if any battle took place…" "They could have been ambushed." Ken interjected. "Valid point. Anyway, I believe that further speculation will give us naught at this moment. If the culprit was responsible for the Persona activity Rise told us about earlier on, they are still close. So far the only location we didn't check is…" All of us simultaneously gazed towards the Abyss of Time. "They must have gone there." I made a rather obvious deduction. If that wasn't the case, we would have already stumbled upon them. "Then, shall we?" "Yeah, let's prepare for an intense battle." Yu's expression and tone made the gravity of the situation clear. The whole humanity's fate was in our hands, so Minato, please watch over us. We'd see you soon…

The Abyss of Time was giving an impression of a living organism. Even stomping on the surface of stairs felt like descending into the depths of beast's stomach. Because of that, everyone seemed reluctant to talk. The heavy pressure was in the air, but as long as my friends were with me, my resolve was unshaken. We would be successful and nothing bad was going to happen to anyone. I knew it and was prepared to give my best in order to make this wish a reality. "We're getting close." Fuuka announced, although with the change in illumination it was quite apparent and soon after, we reached our destination, however, it wasn't like we would expect it to be. This empty yellowish desert was filled with many computers and other electronic machines, which altogether produced much noise unable to hear before. In the midst of this, many armored members of Guardia N and people in white coats lied on the ground. "Scientists?" That was my first connotation, inspired by memories of my earliest life, but that wasn't most important right now. In the distance I noticed a pair of floating metal doors from behind which dark energy emanated. A bit in front of them was a man in a black suit, who stood above one of the female researches. When he realized they had company, he turned around with a cheeky smirk on his face and greeted us. "Oh, it's you brats. You sure took your sweet time. Hah, I was about to save the world and stuff…" This voice! Now I had no doubts. This man… It had to be…

"Adachi?!" Yu's eyes widened. Even though during the time he spent in prison his hair grew longer and a small beard appeared on his face, this had to be Tohru Adachi. "It's been a while, Yu! Have you missed me? I began to worry a bit when I heard you were getting married, but well, I couldn't exactly expect an invitation where I was…" "How do you know about that?" Rise reacted nervously. Despite the fact she was a celebrity, so far only a small group of people knew about their engagement, not to mention, planned wedding. "Ears are for listening, sweetie. Especially to those, whose tongues are too long. If you want to blame someone, there's a certain bear and Mr. Hanamura. Discussing such matters on a prison block is seriously comical, haha." "Crap! Sorry, guys." Yosuke bit his tongue and quickly bowed his head, which visibly amused Adachi. "As always you're a walking circus. Geez, kids, I wonder how you managed to survive in the adults' world to this point. But I don't care. Tonight, I'm playing the role of a hero of justice, so you needn't bother to come along. Just go home and wait until the Dark Hour is over." "Why…?" Yu stepped closer and tried to ask, however, Adachi's mocking laughter interrupted him. "…do you know about that? That chick in blue said that something which may interest me is here and look around. Are you that much of a retard to have me spell it out? Or you can ask her too if you don't believe me." Messing around, he raised the woman from the ground, allowing us to fully see her face.

"Aunt?!" Charlotte couldn't believe her own eyes. So did those of us who were acquainted with Hajime Yuzawa's wife. "Charlie, help me. This man attacked me." In pathetically weak voice, she begged for help, however, the acting was rather obvious. "Aw, what a change in character. And before I crushed you, didn't you plot to destroy the world? Well, I'm being kind of a hypocrite now though." Adachi frowned, throwing her back on the floor. "Stop it! Let her be!" "Yu-boy… You never learn, huh? Just because I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you what I found out. This Guardia N is responsible for what's currently going on. They're trying to take control over some powerful monster, so I guess this makes them bad guys, you see?" "Could he mean Erebus? Is something like that even possible?" "Beats me. If you were to ask me, they might have already partly succeeded. Or that's what data from these computers suggest. And you, the white-head, must be the Subject CH, nice to meet ya." "Subject CH?" Charlotte was shaken. If Adachi was telling the truth, it meant that her own family member had betrayed her, but for what? "Don't you dare to even speak to her or I'll kill you." Shielding his girlfriend with his arm, Michael threatened Adachi, though he didn't appear to be particularly concerned by that. "Oh, we've got a badass over here. Move your rage towards someone deserving it. I'm barely a messenger, unless you wish for me to stop being so nice…" "It's okay, I think… Can you elaborate on that subject stuff, please?" "Oh, man. I already like you, girl. You have more balls than all of them together, haha. Anyway, your beloved aunt knew about your special power and she took advantage over your visit to sneak some weird shit to your blood to empower the connection you share with someone important, which in result led to the faster Dark Hour." Putting his hands into pockets, Adachi smirked, playing with a gun in his belt. "So, is it my fault?" Charlotte asked meekly. "If you want to, sure, go ahead. However, I'd say you're a victim as well. A victim of the mastermind behind Guardia N and its CEO. Am I correct?" Adachi's sharp gaze locked on someone in our group.

"Hey, Ms. Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane was it? I have a riddle just for you and I hope you are up for the challenge." Being called out like that, Naoto swallowed but Adachi ignored that and continued. "I'll give you three clues and if you still don't see the truth, you're a goddamn moron. So, here comes the first one: the one we seek was present in this dorm until recently. Even though I defeated everyone, I haven't found them. What could that mean?" The CEO ran away beforehand? Or hid somewhere? No, we would have found them then and Adachi seemed to know their identity, but wished for us to discover it on our own. "The second one, their initials are MA. Does it ring any bells? I know that alone is practically naught, so I serve the final piece right away. The target is tightly connected to that famed Seal Boy." To Minato? Was Adachi implying that…? This man was far from being trustworthy, however, I still turned towards Minako on instinct and so did everyone else. "You think that's me? There is no way. How would I be able to do finance such an operation in the first place?" Though she denied it firmly, Minako was sweating heavily and avoided to make eye contact with anyone. Why was she acting like that? Despite my resolution to believe in her, behavior she was presenting raised numerous suspicions I couldn't shake off just like that. "That can't be. Why would she?" Naoto stood up in her defense, but I could see she was hesitating as well. "I couldn't care less. Although we have a living witness, she won't sell her boss for sure. That's why, if you want some proof, check out mailboxes on any of the computers. Those idiots didn't even bother to hide anything. That's kind of impressing!" On Adachi's taunt, Yu walked over to one of the screens and after short while, he jumped away from it in a shock.

"Regards, Minako Arisato…" Yu's voice resonated through this level of the Abyss of Time. For a second, none of us knew what to say or what to do and only simply stared at Minako, whose expression grew even more intense. "That's gotta be a coincidence! Why do you look at me this way? This guy might have faked it too!" In panic, she withdrew a few steps backwards. "I did? Well, I'm curious how would I be able to. That was only a wild guess that it was you, but it seems I lucked out. Good job, me. Now then, how about you answer some serious questions?" Saying that, Adachi aimed his gun at her, however, Yu stepped into the line of fire. "That's not the way! If we can just talk through it, I'm sure we will be able to understand what's going on." "Understand what, kiddo? Have you paid attention to everything which was mentioned to this point?" "Still, I cannot let you do that. What if it really is just a similarity in names?" "Don't be ridiculous, Yu. Even Dojima would have already seen through this farce." The tension between those two was rising and I felt that anytime soon a fight would begin. Because of that, I considered interfering, however, I started to put all of the pieces together. If Naoto and Michael met her in Iwatodai, then everything would perfectly match to Adachi's theory. But in spite of being able to see that, I still couldn't decide. "Aigis, didn't you say we would always be friends? So, why? Why everyone treats me this way?" Suddenly, Minako called out to me, silencing the group. "I…" "You lied to me, didn't you? I should have known…" Her tone changed drastically and was now filled with extreme bitterness. "Hah, getting my hopes up was a mistake. I missed you guys and wished to reunite with you one day, although it seems that it won't be possible. Not after you stood in my way. I won't let you stop it!" Minako screamed out and grabbed her head with both hands. " _Apollo!_ "

A sudden surge of energy threw me back but I quickly regained my balance and rolled over to take cover. With the corner of my eye I spotted others following the suite, so I was relieved they were doing fine, but there was no time to focus on that. I peered out of the machinery to see the disappearing shape of Minako's Persona. Unexpectedly, it wasn't the same one I remembered, so something must have happened to trigger this change. Whatever it was, it altered her heart and though I hated to admit it, for now on we had to treat her as a hostile. Aware of it, Minako frantically dashed towards the door and pushed it, disappearing on the other side. Using this opportunity, Helen Yuzawa crawled there as well, closing the passage behind her, right before bullets shot by Adachi reached them. "That little bitch… Why do you have to mess up everything when it matters the most?" In anger, he kicked one of the computers and opened the barrel of his revolver. "Minako… How desperate you became?" Yukari whispered to no one in particular. "Even though there shouldn't be any other escape routes, that doesn't mean she's cornered. We still don't know what kind of research Guardia N was doing here." Mitsuru was right. Because of that, blindly charging in after her would put us on disadvantage as we weren't aware of what to anticipate there. "Nonetheless, we have to go. Isn't it why we are here in the first place?" "That's true. I'm glad that uncle stayed up in the dorm with Sakura and Nanako. He would've been heartbroken…" Charlotte added, catching Adachi's attention. "Nanako-chan is here too? Oh, sweet. Should I go and say hi to her?" "You're not going anywhere out of sight." Yu grabbed his collar, preventing from walking away.

"This is it, everyone…" Michael looked at the door. "Phantom Thieves should be finishing their job as well, so there's nothing stopping us. Just in case, I'll remind that it's the last moment to turn back. I won't hold any grudge if you do that." However, no one except Adachi seemed to be interested in Mitsuru's offer. "Fine. Then see ya, kids…" "That doesn't apply to you though." Yu reprimanded him but it seemed unnecessary as he didn't appear to seriously doing that. "Alright. We're going in. The whole human kind depends on us!" And so, Mitsuru led us towards the entrance to the Great Seal. I followed her without any hesitation, thinking about Arisato siblings. Minato, Minako… Was there a way to save both of them? I couldn't possibly know that yet, however, I intended to do everything possible to achieve that. I didn't want to lose anyone else or see anyone lose loved ones and with that in mind, I crossed through the door.

What welcomed us there was a sight of Minako in front of the statue of her brother. Though her back was turned on us, I felt that she was perfectly aware of our presence. "This place! I've seen it in my dream." Charlotte gazed around in shock. There was no time to inquire for further details as at that moment Minako faced us. "So, you've came. I thought you would. In the end you guys were always stuck to that blind justice of yours and because of that, you probably think that destroying Erebus is the only solution." Her words echoed through the empty space, sinking into the void like if into a sponge. "But that's wrong! If you do that, my brother… His existence would be erased. Like if he never was here with us in the first place! I won't let you remove him! Even if it costs my life!" Through tears she grabbed something which reminded a modified version of an Evoker from behind of her belt and aimed it at her temple. "Minato… I'll protect you. I'll stand against the whole world and destroy it if that's gonna be necessary." As I watched her pull the trigger like in a slow motion, I understood what she was planning to do. "Minako, don't…!" I shouted out in panic and raised my hand in her direction, however, it was already too late. " _Erebus!_ "

A new Persona appeared behind Minako. "It can't be!" Somebody gasped but then, an ear-piercing roar filled the air. Argh…! My body! Because of this sound, the majority of circuits in it began to malfunction, quickly rendering me completely immobile. All I could do was watching how Labrys shared my fate and the impact which the growl had on others. Even those with bodies made of flesh didn't avoid it and were currently in a similar state to ours, struggling to get up against the invisible pressure keeping them on the ground level. Everyone, but not her. In the middle of this she stood, unaffected by anything. "Charlotte…" I tried to whisper, but I wasn't sure whether my voice indeed came out. Even though the area was already soundless, snaring us effect was still ongoing, so there was no one to support this girl. She was alone, although she wouldn't express any signs of fear as she faced our opponents without hesitation. Though how was Minako able to control Erebus in the first place? Phantom Thieves were supposed to take care of the global Palace responsible for self-destructive tendencies of humanity, so did that mean we were wrong about it? Or did they fail? No, I refused to accept such outcome! Perhaps Mitsuru read my mind and somehow writhed out a special communicational device, designed specially for emergencies during Dark Hour and called out to it. "Phantom Thieves, do you copy?" A short while passed and the response reached us in form of Futaba Sakura's desperate voice and waves of static. " _Guys… I'm sorry… It seems it's over… We're done for! Joker?!... Don't do that!... Joker!_ "


	7. Chapter 5 About the Time (Ren Amamiya)

**Chapter 5. About the Time (Ren Amamiya)**

"Hey, Joker? Did you hear what I just said?" Makoto Niijima's voice brought me back to reality. "Loud and clear, Queen." Even though I had absolutely no clue, I grinned to her, hoping that she would buy it. Spacing out like that wasn't a habit of mine, so I should be saved but just in case, I looked at other comrades. All of the Phantom Thieves were present and ready for action; therefore, I'd have lied if I didn't say I was excited. Lately, we didn't get too much to do, so such an important mission was surely a blessing. Although it didn't mean I took all of this as a joke. No job was a laughing matter, regardless of how difficult it seemed to be.

"This Palace will be different than anything we've ever seen, so, everyone, be prepared for anything!" Morgana jumped on a small rock and raised his finger. "You don't say, Mona. Anyway, what's up with this place? It's not Mementos all over again, right?" Ryuji Sakamoto was the one to ask. "Geez, Skull, you have a memory of a goldfish, do you?" After receiving such a cold stare from Ann Takamaki, Ryuji clicked his tongue but still slightly backed away. "I'm sorry. Not everyone is as perfect as Ms. Panther." "Guys, we shouldn't fight among ourselves…" Haru Okumura, codename Noir, interjected, however, she was pretty much ignored as standing behind her Yusuke Kitagawa gathered more of attention with his 'artistic' movements of hands, though whatever he tried to accomplish by doing that was a big mystery. "To think that Wood of the Suicides would have emerged under such a place. Who would have expected that the sanctuary of learning known as Tokyo University would hold secrets of this sort?" " _What Inari said, although it's barely one of the entrances. I can feel it._ " Our navigator – Futaba added. "Not a big surprise. This place must be huge. Anyway, that's why we had someone to take care of those exchange students. We couldn't know how would it influence this dungeon if they were to connect with the University more. In the end, they were of another nationality." Mona reminded, but as everyone should have known that, I decided that the briefing time was over.

"Standing idle won't help us anyhow. Why don't we try to secure an infiltration route?" I suggested. "Joker's right. We have to be quick if we are to be finished before the other party arrives in the Abyss of Time." Makoto instantly agreed with me, making it easier to convince the rest of the crew to hurry. "Heck, yeah. I'm in!" "Skull, shh! And get down!" In panic, Morgana pulled Ryuji back to our hiding spot. If he was only a second slower, we could have already been discovered as a Shadow arrived from the side of the park. "Crap! I'm sorry." He gasped in remorse, however, I didn't pay too much attention and carefully peeked out of the fence. "A single one, huh?" It didn't seem that any reinforcements were nearby, so it must have been just a stray patrol. "Yup. It shouldn't be hard to get past it." "Agreed. We're better off avoiding any unnecessary fights as they might hold surprises. Nonetheless, as always, the call is yours, Joker. You're the boss." Well, before Mona finished saying his piece, I already knew what to do and simply jumped out of the hideout and using the cover of shadow, I sneaked upon the enemy's blind spot. Then I climbed on this Shadow and tore its mask off, however, as I vaulted over the disappearing shape, I summoned Arsene to burn it, which resulted in an insta-kill. Quick, smooth and effective – exactly how I imagined it, so when I landed on the ground, I fixed my glove and glanced over to my friends. "Clear." I announced and so on, we could safely proceed towards the building.

By going from a cover to a cover, we managed to stay out of troubles and slowly eliminate guards on our path. They weren't exactly powerful, but I guessed, the fun would begin inside and these Shadows were merely a prelude to what was about to come. For that reason, such reckless stunts I demonstrated at the beginning were a no-go. Enough playing around. Eventually we reached the large wooden door of University's building and slowly pushing it open, we established the initial entrance point.

"It's really a forest. But the atmosphere… I think it matches its name perfectly." I had to nod to Haru's opinion. Instead of usual corridors, what we saw was indeed woods and in addition to that, a rather creepy one. Eeriness was emanating out of every corner and wherever I would lay my eyes upon, I found something ominous and even the trees weren't normal. They were in fact humans, who were transformed into idle figures, which were tormented by floating around them Shadow harpies. "My god… It's like from a horror." Panther expressed her feelings. "We're literally in Hell if you were to ask me. And there's yet another reason to keep going. Look, enemies incoming!" I pointed out and all of us hid behind random objects. Luckily, the place was filled with a bunch of garbage of all sizes, so we wouldn't be forced to take on this encounter. " _I think they're gone for good._ " Futaba's voice reached my ear. "You heard her." I announced to my allies and chose the way from which Shadows came from as our first destination to explore.

As a matter of fact, even though it didn't seem like the correct passage, it was good to go here. Knowing what was behind your back would never hurt and additionally, we might discover something useful. "Guys, there's a hut over there." Morgana was correct. As it was hardly visible in this surrounding, I might have missed it on my own. "Nice find. We should definitely check it out." I declared our next goal. "It's certainly not a cottage of a kind in which one would like to spent their elderly years. Although this sight is somehow inspiring, if I am to be frank." Once we closed up on the ruins of the small wooden house, Yusuke made a remark, which perfectly captioned the scenery. "Hey, Oracle, is anyone there?" Unexpectedly, it was Ryuji who inquired from our navigator to gather info. "Skull, when did you learn such advanced tactics?" Panther asked in a highly ironic tone. I could see she was surprised by his initiative as well and didn't intend to lose this chance to mess with him a little. "Oh, shuddap." He frowned in response, but at that moment, Futaba cut in. " _Looks like a safe zone. You can recharge there and save your game._ " "Alright. Thanks." Preventing her from continuing with a stream of gaming terminology, I stood up and waved my hand, signalizing to follow me.

Interior of the building wasn't that much better comparing to the first impression of this place; however, it was still enough for us to set up a provisional camp. After Yusuke and Makoto gathered appropriately big fragments of furniture for us to sit on, we did just that. "So, how are you holding up so far, guys?" Since I was the leader, I had to make sure everyone was healthy and ready for anything. "I'm fine. This place… Is it truly what people desire? To be constantly tortured?" Lowering her gaze, Haru brought up the topic. "Yeah. I can't understand it at all, but this is still a Palace. No matter how unreasonable it may appear to be, it's just a manifestation of the darkest parts of society's collective mind. Therefore, what Wood of the Suicides represents is the twisted image of human's psyche. Remember stories of our collaborators from the Ark? Avatars of death like Nyx or Hi-no-Kagutsuchi were summoned by people's emotions, so I don't think something like that is such a big of a surprise." Searching through the remains of a desk, Morgana lectured us but after a while, he stopped and screamed out. "Meow! Impossible!" "What's wrong, Mona?" I walked over to his side and quickly understood why he reacted this way. In his paws there was a set of considerably fresh papers. That didn't make much sense alone but what was more worrisome was their content. "These are our profiles!" And I spotted my name on the first page. "For real, dude?! Mine's here too. And even Mona's!" Ryuji spat out, looking over my left shoulder. "So, is there anyone who knows about him besides us?" Makoto and others joined us. "But how? Only our three groups should have been aware of my existence and I don't think anyone would betray us." The most concerned one twitched anxiously. Despite how it seemed to be, I shared his positive attitude. It was unlikely that it was the case and doubting our friends wasn't benefitting us anyhow. Simple enough. "There has to be a good explanation. Don't think too much of it. We should search for more clues if there are any." Though I said it more to cool down the moods, I hoped there was indeed something which would bring light to this mystery. It was completely illogical for such documents to be in this place, but thinking too much about it would only be a waste of time. We were currently in the middle of hostile territory, so such distractions could undermine our performance. Because of that, I was about to suggest to resume our mission, however, at that moment the door of the house opened.

On the instinct I touched my mask and mentally prepared to attack, however, then I noticed who made his entrance. "Goro Akechi?! He's alive?" Morgana was as shocked as I was. We all thought he died back then in Shido's Palace and even though half of his face became horribly disfigured by a mass of black tissue, I immediately recognized him. "So, you found this place first, huh?" Not particularly concerned with us, he casually walked in and sat down on the provisional chair, putting one of his legs on another. "What happened to you? And why are you here in the first place?" Makoto demanded although his response certainly didn't match her expectations. "So many questions… How am I supposed to keep up?" Staring blankly in one point, formerly known as Crow slowly replied. Thanks to that I finally realized something. "What's the deal with this guy? He's acting weirder than usual." "Skull, he's most likely blind." I clarified and it seemed that my observations were correct. "Joker… We meet again and you're as sharp as I remember. There're so many things I would like to discuss with you, although there's no time. I'll go straight to the point. I've been asked to assassinate you by the same organization which put the spark of rather miserable one, but still life back to my body. But don't worry. I don't intend to try. I only pretended to accept this job to get an opportunity to talk to you." "About what though?" "I know what's your goal here and I am well aware how impossible it is to accomplish. That's why, I want to help you. However, on one condition." "Do you think you're in a position to request anything?" Though Makoto pierced him with a cold stare, Akechi continued as if he didn't hear that. "I bet you don't know where's the center of Wood of Suicides or what's there. Finding it on your own would take forever, but I can lead you to that area. All I will ask for in exchange is that you will be the one to kill me, Joker."

Everyone, me included went silent. "…" I didn't know how should I react on hearing that as something was telling me that he wasn't joking around. " _Guys, there's something strange about this dude. He's not even an NPC and I can't scan him!_ " Futaba's emotional whisper sounded out. Though only we should have been able to hear her, Akechi unexpectedly answered to this statement. "That's because you look on me as on a person, Oracle. I'm no longer one. Joker, could you be my witness, please?" He rolled up the sleeve of his old brown jacket and reached out his hand to me. Was he implying I should check his pulse? That must have been it, thereby, I touched his wrist and then, my eyes widened. "You're ice cold." In spite of having my gloves on, I felt that his skin had absolutely no warmness. "Well, it's because Goro Akechi you were acquainted with is already dead. I'm his Shadow, which had been forcefully put into the empty shell of his corpse. Don't ask me how it happened though. The people who did it to me – Guardia N, research many frightening technologies. If there's someone who can stand up against them, it's gotta be you, Phantom Thieves. You're the only hope to stop that organization and also in my case, to finally rest." When he finished talking, we exchange looks. From what I could see, others were as confused and depended on me to make an appropriate decision. However, I wasn't sure which one it was. Frankly, this had to be the first time in a long while when my confidence in judgment wavered. If what Akechi said was true, we were in need of his cooperation but on the other hand, gaining it was connected with me having to kill him and I'd rather avoid it. Despite all of the circumstances of our relationship, in the end, Akechi sacrificed himself for our sakes… But look what it gave him… "I was always alone and I fooled myself I could stay this way. I lived a quite successful life but when I met you, I understood what I lacked. I both admired and envied you, Joker. You are everything I wished to be deep down. I'm sorry for all I had done and for giving you such an unreasonable request. But I can't keep up with such an existence. I'm so lonely… I have keep hiding from everyone unrelated and going to public places is out of question… This pain is unbearable! And the worst part is that I can't end this suffering on my own. In the end, this body is already dead…" Ending this highly emotional speech, Akechi stood up and bowed to me. It might have been a mistake, however, I believed this performance of his was genuine, so I pitied him. "I'll see what I can do about that. Though only once all of this is over." I declared and then, Akechi dropped on his knees. "Thank you, Joker. Thank you, everyone…" He muttered and as I noticed, he was crying.

Not so long later, we departed out of the hut with our new guide. As he was showing us the correct path, Shadow Akechi, as I called him in my mind was behaving in a very peculiar manner. He wasn't anywhere close to how I remembered him, however, I chose to believe in him and wait to see the consequences of it. No matter what it would be, I was going to accept them. "Alright, we may continue." Shadow Akechi announced and we got out of the hideout. Other Shadows weren't attacking him, so unlike us, he didn't need to bother with sneaking. "I still can't believe we're working with this guy…" Makoto frowned. She seemed highly doubtful, but I was able to see her point. In the end, having someone who once tried to murder you or your friend as your ally could be somehow difficult to cope with quickly. "Are you sure we can follow him like that? What if he's leading us into a trap?" "Even Oracle can't detect him as a normal Persona-user, so there has to be something up, Skull. I'm putting my faith in her, so if she says so, that must be the case." "Joker's right. Where would we be if we didn't trust each other? Because I certainly don't think here." I was glad that Yusuke shared my opinion. These bonds were our main strength, thanks to which we achieved many spectacular successes and I knew, that it wasn't still all what Phantom Thieves of Hearts were capable of, especially with aid from all of the Ark people. "Yes. I'm sure we'll be fine. I promise to do my best, everyone." "Glad we're on the same page then." I smiled from beneath of my mask. Regardless of what this night would bring at its end, my optimism wasn't going to shake even a bit, so I gazed with confidence on the silhouette of the giant castle slowly appearing on the horizon.

"It kind of looks like that bastard's Palace, but it's gloomier. And way creepier." I had to agree with Panther's comment. Kamoshida's was the first Palace we were in, at least our initial four, so no wonder that it made such a long-term impression on her. "No matter what it reminds, let's take care of it. Akechi, is it the place?" "Yeah. This is King Minos' castle. Unfortunately, I haven't been inside to tell you more, however, I deduct it's heavily guarded. Probably more than any of the previous Palaces taken together." He warned us and lost himself in thoughts. "Who cares about such stuff? We'll steal its treasure and go home in no time, like always." "Hold your horses, Skull. Being too cocky will cause you to make mistakes." "Mark that, dude." I grinned to him mischievously. Ryuji often did things without thinking but to be honest, that wasn't exactly the worst quality in our trade. Sometimes brute force was the only solution, so having someone like him around could be very beneficial to the party balance. "And you're the one speaking…" Haha, obviously. Even though it was a bit hypocritic on my side, I said it only to see Queen's reaction and she didn't disappoint me. In the end, I was most likely the only one who dared to mess with the former student council president of Shujin Academy. "Yes, yes. That's me. But more importantly, how are we going to break in? Windows are situated quite high and have bars on them. I don't think we will be able to break through without raising an alarm." Of course, that was barely one of the four walls, but I purposefully brought it up to evade Makoto's wrath. "I believe something might be hiding in the plain sight. Our eyes just need to properly adapt before the sudden realization strikes us like a thunder!" Luckily, Fox caught the bite. "Oracle, could you be this kind to scan it for us, please?" " _Yup. I'm on it, boss._ " Good. With that out of the way, in order to spend the waiting time effectively, I invited everyone to prepare for the next part of the infiltration.

" _Okay, everyone. I'm not sure if that's really it, but the west side seems to have some sort of a backdoor. I've noticed Shadows going in and out of there, so you should be careful._ " "Copy that. Thanks a bunch." I thought that was going to be the case. These harpies and normal Shadows had to be coming out of somewhere, however, so what of it? What kind of a Thieve would barge in through the front door? Certainly not me, so even though the second option presented to us by Futaba was also risky, I preferred to give it a shot and this way, we gradually engaged on the aforementioned point of interest. "That must be it…" In spite of him mumbling it in a low voice, I heard Shadow Akechi contemplating something. "What?" He seemed surprised by my question, but he still recovered quickly and shook his head. "Nothing crucial to the mission. I'm just concerned about something, although it's an unrelated matter." "Still, if there's anything you need, feel free to hit me up. I owe you this much at least." I threw to him and began to head my own way, however, Akechi spoke up again. "Joker, I know how it might sound, but if you were to lose your memories, would you still be the same person?" From where did that one come from? Nonetheless, I answered sincerely. "No doubt about. I think, personality will be identical even if you forget how you used to act. It stays too deep down in you." "Though what about people you stole hearts of? Didn't they change?" "No. We, humans aren't born evil, but throughout the entire life we might accumulate warped desires and these lead us on the wrong path. That's why, I believe that after taking their treasure, they return to their normal selves." There was much of injustice and wickedness in our world, although I would never allow it to burrow me or any of my friends. That was my reason to fight – to fix the world and let those who suffered so far stand up on their two feet. "You're very confident. I'd take my hat off if I had one." "You can do this on a later date, but now, shh… I can see the spot."

"That must be the guard outpost. Geez, that doesn't look too good." Ann observed. Initially I suspected something reminding a back alley for dumpsters, however, what we found out wasn't encouraging. "They are… practicing?" The Shadows were fighting between each other and every now and then, the pairs were exchanging – the old ones returned to the building and another duo would take their place. "Do you know anything about that?" I gazed over in Akechi's direction but he only shrugged his shoulders. Shit. The numbers were too high for us to take out stealthily without being noticed, so we were in need of a new plan. "Check this out! There's an airduct over there." All of us turned to see what Morgana spotted and indeed, he was right. A small tunnel, wide and high for a person to fit in was behind one of the guards. "We just have to eliminate one target. Joker, what do you think?" "Give me a sec, Noir…" I had to consider all factors. Of course, if I were to go, I would have finished the job with no troubles, however, was it really that simple? The Shadow blocking the road seemed rather strong, but I didn't want to waste time to have our navigator to scan it. We had to keep the tempo up, so the most appropriate choice was to… "Let me handle it." Unexpectedly, Shadow Akechi volunteered. "You can do that?" I asked, silencing any potential protests. "I can still use my Personas, so I should be fine. Besides, as they see me as one of their kind, I'll blend into the crowd perfectly." "Go for it then." I nodded, expressing my trust. "Well, see you soon, I guess…" He replied, putting stress on the word 'see' and jumped down to the level of the training ground. "Do you seriously think it's a good idea, Joker?" As to be expected, Makoto was quite skeptical, although all I did was watching over Akechi, who managed to one-shot the Shadow with his Robin Hood and now waved his hand to hasten us to join him.

" _Alarm, alarm!... Our communication is being jammed by enemy boss!... Proceed with caution… I repeat, proceed with caution!_ " Though our channel was indeed being unstable, I still picked up Futaba's message and wondered what was the cause of this phenomenon. Nothing like that had ever occurred in any of the Palaces, so I couldn't help but to worry a bit. In the end, navigator's assistance was sometimes necessary to complete the heist safely. "My head… It feels like it was going to explode any moment." "Mine too, Panther. The pressure in here is unbearable." Haru complained as well, bringing my attention to the problem. As a matter of fact, I experienced that too, however, I ignored the slight pain to remain focused. "It must be the aura of this castle. Many powerful Shadows are surely in the facility, so no wonder the weaker ones of you struggle." "I'm not weak! Shut up." In spite receiving a proper explanation, Ann snapped at Akechi who calmly followed me in the tunnel. Well, that could have been quite rude way to put it, although he could have been right. "We're pushing forward anyway. If you think you can't keep up, summon your Persona or use any of the items. That should help." At least according to my predictions, but let's hope necessity to try wouldn't arise. Nonetheless, for the sake of our health, it was better to hurry up a bit, so once I reached the end of the passage, I kicked out the blocking it metal create and jumped into a small room.

"You couldn't do it more quietly, could you?" Queen complained once she landed next to me on the floor. "Never mind that now. It looks like another safe spot. We're rather lucky today." Morgana concluded after he took a look around and climbed on the nearest shelf to meet our eye level. "But before we move on, there's one more thing I must talk to you about. Hey, Skull, come over here finally. I'm being serious!" "Yeah, I'm listening, dammit." Ryuji crossed his hands and leaned on the wall, allowing Mona to continue. "I'm beginning to be sure of it. We had it all wrong. Wood of Suicides has no Treasure. Even though we're already inside, I cannot pick a single trace of its smell. I know it's not my nose's fault, so that leaves only one option." "We have to get rid of the ruler of this wicked land." Yusuke added, though at this moment that was only a formality. "Sounds fine with me. Though where can we find him? Akechi, you mentioned that's King Minos' castle. Did you see him or know where to look?" I turned to our guide, however, instead of an answer I would like to hear, I received a frantic gaze of disbelief. "You guys are insane, aren't you? Even Phantom Thieves can't stand a chance against him." "Yaldabaoth was supposed to be such an enemy as well yet somehow; the world is still doing perfectly fine." I wasn't particularly conceived, although I refused to accept something was impossible. Such thinking would never let us win as a great dose of any battle was taking place on a mental ground. Therefore, if I were to fight with negative attitude in my mind, I highly doubted any potential positive outcome. "Hell yeah, Joker! We're gonna kick his ass for sure." Unexpectedly, Ryuji hit my back in a supporting manner. "I have to agree. No matter what happens next, I'll give it my best shot too." Soon after, Noir and everyone else expressed their confidence, which made me feel proud. It showed how great of a team we were; however, this enthusiasm had been quickly cooled down by a ruckus coming out from behind. When I turned on my heel to see what happened, I realized that backing off, Skull tripped and falling down, hit and opened the door, from behind of which two Shadows peeked out.

" _Lillith!_ " Though I reacted in such a speed, the alarm still sounded out despite Shadows being destroyed with an electric shock. " _That doesn't look good!... Run for it, guys!... Lots of Shadows are heading to your location and they aren't regular grinding mobs!_ " Futaba screamed out and I wasn't going to underestimate her words. "You heard her! It's too late for stealth. We're taking this Palace down with a frontal assault!" Removing an obstacle in form of another enemy out of the way with my knife, I ordered and began to run. Others followed me, so concentrating on leading the charge, I threw to no one in specific. "Where can we find this Minos?" "I don't know how but I think he should be in the throne hall." "Though where it is, Akechi?" "No idea. I'm sorry!" "Never mind that. I bet my tail and sword that he's lurking in the area with the heaviest readings. My nose is picking up an unbearable scent of corruption this way." "Great! Show us the path, Mona." I turned to fire at one of the harpies, but, at the same moment I spotted a blockade in front of us. Due to the fact I wasted too much of time on smaller Shadows, I wouldn't have been able to get rid of this barricade before we were to reach it. Crap! Such an amateurish mistake, however, it seemed that Ann had my back. "Joker, watch out!" She yelled out and giving me only a brief second to duck, she whipped out the most of hostiles and finished remaining ones with a wave of fire from her Persona – Hecate. "Thanks." I raised my thumb up and vaulted over the destroyed weapon rack. The corridor was slowly ending and as it wasn't splitting into any branches and pursuers were right behind us, there was no other choice but to continue in this direction. This way, it didn't take long before we reached a larger room.

"They stopped." Makoto observed. The chasing us Shadows weren't crossing through the threshold and only glared at us with raised weapons from distance. "We're trapped! Other corridors are like that too." The situation was identical in other entrances. For some strange reason, guards didn't dare to follow us inside. I wondered why though? "Guys…!" "What is it, Skull? Spit it out." "Just look over there!" There weren't many things which would cause Ryuji to react like that, so full of concern, I turned towards the side he was pointing on. " **Intruders… Hmm… How foolish and ignorant one may be?** " Boosted by acoustics of the spacious hall we were in; the volume of this voice nearly caused my head to split open. Its owner was sitting on a huge throne made of human bones, with decorations of diamond skulls on handholds. " **And you… I recognize this face. I did not think you would return after being caught once.** " A giant in a shining horned mask emerged out of shadows as he looked at Akechi, who began to tremble. "…?!" " **I guess the curse I bestowed on you worked too fast. If you had your memories, you would have never repeated such a mistake.** " "Hey, what's going on? You said you've never been inside." Queen demanded, making the former detective snap. "I've remembered! All! We're so screwed! This is Minos! I came here to remove him, not you in the first place but I failed." That would explain some things, nonetheless, it wasn't crucial now, so I grabbed Akechi's collar, preventing him from dropping on the floor. " **You ought to know your place, petty worm. I am KING Minos, the ruler of this land. And you shall be punished for your insolence!** " Saying that, Minos raised his armor-covered hand and flicked his fingers.

When he did that, a gust of wind shot at us, however, it only had effect on Akechi, who was thrown backwards and crashed into the furthest wall. " **Oh, you dare to defy me? Me, who was born of humanity's minds. Do you think such a small group of pests might stand up against the will of everyone?** " Hey, I heard those lines before. "That's perfectly what we're doing. Even if sporadic drops are going to keep falling on a concrete, it will eventually crack. Just because we are currently a minority, it doesn't mean we're wrong! We will show everyone that they can stand up to injustice and bring up a positive change." " **My, my. Not many would have been able to face me in such a manner. What is your name, masked fiend?** " Should I feel honored by receiving his recognition? I didn't think so. "My name, hah. It's not important. Though I'll tell you a bit about us. We're Phantom Thieves and we will steal the hearts of the whole human kind. And you're going down! _Metatron_!" Placing one of my hands on my mask, I casted Megidolaon, however, it was just a decoy as I didn't even think it would actually work. "Everyone, let's clear the Shadows before the vision returns!" I shouted, seeing that guards began to pour into the hall. "Got it, dude! _Seiten Taisei_!" Ryuji joined the fray and smacked the closest enemy, simultaneously making all of the surrounding it Shadows airborne with his Persona. "Leave it to us. _Anat_!" " _Astarte_!" Both Makoto and Haru jumped up and cleared out the majority of targets midair but those who survived didn't last long anyway as before they could reach the ground, they were caught in crossfire from Ann and Yusuke, who finished the job.

" _That's not … work!... The more… you …, the more …!_ " Though her voice was hardly understandable at this point, I thought that I knew what Futaba was trying to say – we were in a serious pinch. Nonetheless, only if we would have been able to defeat Minos fast enough… Use your brain, Ren, dammit! However, before I had a chance to come up with an appropriate plan, the brightness which obscured the vision after my almighty attack suddenly vanished. " **I shall not tolerate any of it anymore!** " The king stood up from his throne, making all of his subjects freeze. " **You are as cheeky as you only could be, humans. If you call yourselves Thieves, then you should be prepared to receive a befitting judgment.** " Minos raised his golden scepter, ended with a gem of pulsing dark energy and soon after, I heard a sound of something falling down from above. Instinctively, I dodged with a flip to the side although as I quickly noticed, I wasn't in danger as someone else had been targeted. "Panther? Are you alright?!" An empty skull dropped on Ann, imprisoning her inside of it. "Damn it! I can't get through!" And Ryuji who, attempted to save our friend was caught in a similar one. "We'll look for a way to get you out!" I threw to reassure them and dove between the pillars, hoping that the layer of stone above my head would protect me. Other Phantom Thieves must have thought so as well, as they followed the suite by hiding wherever it was possible. However, it was all useless as the skulls raised from below the floor, closing Noir and Queen. "So, it's only our three, huh?" I didn't even notice when Yusuke and Morgana appeared on my side. They were filled with resolve, which inspired me to push forward even though the situation seemed unfavorable so far. "It's time to end it, guys." I announced and stepped out to face Minos.

" **Even though you voluntarily give up, I will not ease the sentence. Somebody must pay for all of the damage to my castle with blood…** " Yeah, yeah, whatever… He could have spoken all he wanted but that wasn't going to make us falter. By all means, surrender didn't even cross our minds. "Fox, Mona… I'm counting on you." Exchanging gazes with my partners, I spoke up. "You're wrong. You don't know what everyone desires. And neither do we. There's no way of getting into every person's head to look for a compromise for all ideologies. Each of us, humans, is different and deserve a chance to express ourselves equally. If we communicate, we will beat any obstacles, together." " **Big words, leader of Thieves… But will you be able to make them reality?** " "Alone, no. But that's why I have my friends with me. If we can unite, then nothing stops others from doing the same." " **And how exactly is it relevant to the topic?** **Talking is not going to grant your wish. The Fall will come because people look forward to it.** " "Then we will show them an alternative. They will see that this world is too beautiful to let it go to waste." " **Naïve. Humans only wait for destruction or work for it purposefully. They cannot live without suffering and I shall demonstrate it to you, Thieves.** " The end of Minos' staff was aimed at us and judging from the effects around it, we were about to be captured as well. Therefore, I braced for the impact and Yusuke and Mona did the same. And then, another skull was fired straight at our position.

However, a combined attack from our three managed to break through the missile, although at the cost of those two being thrown away by a shockwave. Like that, now I was the only remaining person able to fight. " **Oh…?** " Minos let out a sigh, though I could feel he didn't expect such an outcome. "Never underestimate humanity. We're not some kind of masochists, who dream of being tormented. We want to be free and likes of you try to take this freedom away. That's why, the fall you spoke of will come but only to you!" That was it. Without hesitation I charged forward, jumping from the pile of debris to another, gradually ascending in the direction of the King Minos. My knife was glimmering with many colors and shades, which represented all of the people who entrusted their fates in me. Not only those present here, but also, everyone who was currently frozen because of the Dark Hour. I knew that they were here together with me and that gave me strength. "This is the end, Minos. Freedom will always triumph." Bouncing off one of the columns, I dropped at my opponent, sinking my blade into the center of his mask. A reasonably large crack appeared where I struck, revealing a void filled with darkness. Now it was only a matter of the final blow. " _Satanael!_ " Together with my Persona, I loaded the whole clip into Minos' head and it must have worked as an explosion occurred, which power was high enough to blast me off the spot. Flying backwards I heard closely unidentified voices calling out my codename. Alright, Joker did his piece, so the rest is yours, Phantoms. Assist Ark folks and be victorious, I smiled, while my consciousness faded.


	8. Chapter 6 Together (Charlotte Atkins)

**Chapter 6. Together (Charlotte Atkins)**

When the area returned to silence, I was the only one who was still able to stand. All of the people whom I believed to be strong fell and it didn't seem like if they were going to raise anytime soon. Even Michael… What the hell was going on? Why such a weakling like me remained on her two feet? Regardless of how scared I was, I bit my lip to a point where I felt the metallic taste of blood on my tongue and made sure not to show any signs of being afraid. In the end, I was the best in doing that…

"Why nothing happened to her?!" Minako Arisato cried out, but I was as clueless, so I couldn't help her even if I wanted to. There were so many things I didn't understand and they were overwhelming me. Personas, the Abyss of Time… And them – that boy and the monster from my nightmare – Erebus. No matter how surreal it felt, I had to accept it wasn't just a regular dream. I must have seen them back then for a good reason, though I didn't realize it yet. "Hey, you, why is the Subject CH not affected? You said she would be the most vulnerable one!" The woman on the opposite side had demanded out of my aunt, however, she didn't know what to say either, so she was slammed back on the ground. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to be bothered by that. Because of her betrayal I had to forget about the ties of blood between us and even though I hated to admit it, aunt Helen was right now my enemy, whom I couldn't trust. "It seems she was wrong. Too bad…" Trying to make sure no one noticed my trembling legs, I taunted Arisato, who reacted nervously, tightening her grip around the gun. "That doesn't matter! If I don't stop you, Minato will be forgotten! Get her, _Erebus_!" On her command, a beam of dark energy was fired in my direction. This time I wouldn't cover in fear! I was prepared to strike back with Pothinus' assistance, however, at that moment I was suddenly pushed out of the way.

"Michael?!" He tackled me on the very last second before the attack could reach me, though from what it looked like, it costed him quite a lot. He was heavily bleeding from his forehead and one of his legs was bent unnaturally. "Are you okay?" He asked swallowing the pain. And how could I not worry?! He gained some serious injuries just because of me. "I am. And you? Don't move. We have to get you treated!" "Don't mind me. This thing is too strong for you to handle. Run for it!" "I won't leave you to die! I'll fight." I couldn't abandon him or anyone else. These people helped me out when I needed it the most, so I had to repay this debt somehow. Therefore, ignoring my boyfriend's protests, I stood up and walked in the direction of Arisato, who hysterically spat out. "I'm not going to lose! I won't!" I didn't know whether others spotted it yet, however, as I was able to relate to her feelings, I noticed how split she was internally. On one hand, she cared about her friends and didn't wish to harm them, although her love for her brother was too strong. Because of it, she was ready to antagonize the whole world but I wasn't going to condemn her for having such desires. In the end, I was kind of similar, but before I was able to communicate her that, my body filled with a strange sensation.

It was like if something took control over my limbs and made me stop. What was going on? Did fear paralyze me? Even though I was trying to do my best and push myself past my limits, I failed. I was never a heroine of justice and it seemed that I was being reminded of that in a rather brutal way. Maybe I should have listened to Michael when I still had a chance? Too late for that now as all I could do was to wait for a surely unpleasant final of my pathetic story. "…?!" However, it wasn't coming. Instead of delivering a final blow to a defenseless target in my person, Arisato froze. "M-m-m…" She kept on uttering one letter but the mystery behind of it unveiled quickly. " _Stop this madness, Minako._ " Though those words came out of my mouth, the voice didn't belong to me but to the sealed boy. I remembered hearing it once, so even if Aigis wouldn't have called out his name aloud, I would have still recognized it. " _There's a third option none of you see yet. And it's not fighting each other._ " "B-but…! If Erebus is destroyed, you will…" " _Listen to me! My time is very limited, so I'll tell you what to do. First, you need to trust in Charlotte. Even though she doesn't know that yet, she has…_ " Whatever he was about to say had been abruptly cut off by an unexpected roar of Erebus. "It's going berserk!" By all means, this comment had to be an understatement, judging from what was currently going on with Arisato, who began to be literally thrown around by it. "Calm down! Follow the orders, dammit!" However, it seemed that she was losing this battle as the air around started to change. A black vortex formed above her head from which masses of unknown dark substance began to pour out, together with emerging out of it Shadows. " _Pothinus._ " My Persona shot a couple of strings, destroying the closest enemies right before they could attack Arisato, who continued to scream frantically without any sense. "Charlie, you have to get her out of there. This thing is only getting bigger!" Saying that, Michael forced himself to throw a silver short sword to me and somehow, I managed to catch it midair. Surprisingly, though it would have been most likely too heavy for me to carry around in a normal environment, now I didn't have any difficulties, so sending my beloved a short thanks, I charged towards Arisato.

" _Watch out, Charlotte! On your left!_ " Suddenly, I heard Fuuka Yamagishi in my head, so I slashed in the mentioned direction. In spite of how awkward this blow was, I still managed to remove the threat. " _Navigator-type Personas are usable again, so its only a matter of time before others recover as well. We'll do our best to support you until then. I know you can do this, Charlie!_ " The cheer from Rise greatly motivated me. Initially I thought a celebrity like her would be completely inaccessible for me, however, she turned out to be a very open person. And not only her. Unlike me, every each of the people I met during this night was incredible. They showed me that I was wrong and I didn't need to keep this farce up to be able to be accepted by others and for that reason, I couldn't afford to disappoint them! I would protect everyone, including aunt Helen and Arisato from both Shadows and Erebus. Yeah, I was going to save them all! " _They're attacking from above!_ " Therefore, I summoned Pothinus to take care of it. " _A big one is about to get you from your three. Duck!_ " Immediately, I listened to Rise's advice and good I did or I would have been decapitated by a large fist of the aforementioned enemy. I was about to counterattack, when another unpredicted event occurred. " _Caesar!_ " A thunderbolt blasted off the Shadow and soon after, Akihiko Sanada appeared on my side. "I'm not going to leave all of the fighting to a girl. Come at me, bastards!" He declared, dodging the incoming blow, while simultaneously sinking his fist into Shadow's body and controlling his Persona. So, that was the power of experienced Persona user? His moves seemed perfectly calculated, like if the scenario of the whole fight was known by him from the beginning. "That's right! Leave the poor Charlotte alone. Hiiya! _Haraedo-no-Okami_!" And so, Chie joined up as well, hasting me to keep going. "What are you waiting for? Go get them, girl. We've got your back covered!" Hearing that, I resumed my run.

Just a couple of sweet words were enough to put me into a trance-like state. Despite all of the hostiles gradually swarming the area, I remained focused and my instincts had never been as sharp. And this feeling in my chest… Even though there was no reason for me to cry or be sad, tears were constantly falling out of my eyes and no matter how hard I tried to explain them, nothing logical would come up. " _Pothinus._ " Taking control over one of the Shadows, I made it explode, however, I didn't think this through well as the machinery around it was caught in the reaction, greatly empowering strength of the aftershock. This caused me to lose my footing although I didn't fall because somebody caught me in the perfect moment. "Geez, you should be more careful. Watch and learn from the pros. _Takehaya Susano-o!_ " It turned out to be Yosuke, who also shielded me from the barrage of fire with his Persona. "I believe this element is my specialty. _Sumeo-Okami_ , show them what you're capable of!" Graciously dancing through the enemies with her fan, Yukiko Amagi answered, leaving only the dust wherever she would aim. Such an impressing destruction… "Ouch! Watch it! You nearly melted my ass too!" Junpei screamed out, frantically jumping around. "I'm sorry, I guess? I think I must have confused you with the enemy." "Excuse me?! What part of me reminds you a Shadow?! Never mind that now. My cool entrance was already messed up, but I still have to show off my amazing skills!" He announced and charged at the closest opponents, successfully breaking their formation in no time. "Alright, the path is clear. You can thank uncle Junpei later, heh." "That sounded rather creepy, you know?" Yukiko delivered another savage burn, making Junpei let out a rather bizarre sequence of sounds but in spite of how comical this scene appeared to be, I had to swallow my laughter and proceed.

" _Oh, no! This reading! Everyone, The Reaper is heading our way! Don't let it close to Charlie!_ " Though I had no idea whom this aforementioned foe was, from the tone of Rise's voice I deducted it wasn't just a regular Shadow and it didn't take long before I heard the noise of rattling chains. I froze. Although the most logical course of actions would be to increase the speed, I couldn't move as there was something unspeakably dreadful about this sound, which floated around my head. " _Run, Charlotte!_ " Fuuka's cry reminded me of how to use my legs, however, a new obstacle appeared between me and my goal. "What is this thing?!" I panicked because of this sight. The Reaper was huge but it wasn't its most terrifying feature. The sack of cloth on his head was covered with blood and by all means, I was certain it was a fresh human one. Why…? Instead of fleeing, my body refused to cooperate, however, then another source of chaotic racket allowed me to breathe again. "Worry not, Char-chan! Teddie is not going to let any cute girl be harmed. It's time to unleash my whole potential! AAAAAHHHHHH! Bear-sona!" Unexpectedly, Teddie literally flew at the Reaper out of nowhere, kicking its long-barreled revolvers out of the way before they could fire at me. " _Izanagi-no-Okami!_ " Yu's Persona and its owner immediately followed this attack, clashing with the enemy. I could see sparks going off from the spot where his katana met with two crossed guns. "We will face it. Save Minako! She's being swallowed by that black hole!" Ken pointed out and by all means, he was right. If someone was able to take down this monster, it had to be them, not me, especially as Yukari, Kanji, Naoto and Mitsuru were also present here. "We're entrusting our lives to you, Charlotte. Count on us to occupy the Reaper with all we've got!" The latter of them declared fiercely. I had to make sure I apologize to her later as I greatly misunderstood her back then… No, I shouldn't let myself get distracted! Once the opportunity arisen, I broke into a mad dash towards Arisato, who was at this point hardly distinguishable from the darkness.

"Hang in there! I'm going to get you into safety!" I wasn't sure how I would achieve that or whether Arisato heard me or not, but I began to pull her body out of the anomaly, however, I had to change the plan fast or I would have shared her fate. If that were to happen, it would mean demise for both of us, therefore, I needed to do something from distance. Though what? Use your brain, Charlie! " _Pothinus._ " In a desperate attempt I used my Persona and it was the best course of actions. Or at least, it initially seemed like a one, because after a while, an unexpected reaction occurred and the dark mist began to behave like if it was electrified. "Shit!" I screamed aloud as I was being sucked in with an increasing strength. No! Leave me alone! Using all of the force I had, I fought against it, however, my efforts were hopeless. Forgetting about Arisato, who already disappeared, I wasn't able to protect myself and others were too busy handling the Reaper to realize what was going on here. Please, help me. Someone! I tried to shout but it was already too late. I was being swallowed although it wasn't the worst part of it. Just before my face merged with darkness, I noticed that Erebus, who was so far attacking the Great Seal, switched its attention to me but before it could reach its target, I was already on the other side.

Inside of the black hole turned out to be just emptiness. No matter in which direction I turned, there was black color surrounding me and only if it wasn't for Arisato's presence, I would have thought I already died. Speaking of her, she wasn't exactly in the greatest condition. She curled into a ball and kept crying. Was it just my imagination or was she muttering something? In order to hear her better, I began to walk closer, but then, another voice echoed through the space. " **The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.** " Then a set of 21 human-sized Tarot cards surrounded me. " **The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...** " Suddenly, a terrifying silhouette got between me and Arisato. I didn't know how, but I was sure that it was even more dangerous enemy than Erebus and the Reaper combined, so trying not to show my fear too much, I looked into the hollow eyes of giant's white mask. "Who are you?" " **What people fear most... What they try to ignore... That is what I am.** " A rather cryptic answer… "Please, step away. I need to help this woman over there." I asked politely, however, in response the figure's four wings flapped as it raised its long sword. " **Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you…** " Despite no concrete information in this statement, at that moment I understood what this creature was implying – it wasn't going to allow me to cross unless I fulfilled some sort of an objective. More to that, it was most likely hostile. " **In order to protect others, you must save oneself first. Are you prepared to face your greatest nemesis, the owner of Queen of Wands Arcana?"** Did it know…? That wasn't important right now. "Nothing will stop me from saving her. Even if I need to beat you." Because if I were to fail, who would succeed? However, ignoring all of the efforts I put into this declaration, my interlocutor laughed mockingly. " **It requires great courage to look at oneself honestly, and forge one's own path... But will you be able to reach the correct answer alone?** " I was about to reply positively although at that moment appearance of another person interrupted.

" _No, that's wrong! She's not alone. Neither she or Minako._ " A ghost? Right at my side I noticed a spectral figure, which strongly reassembled the guy, who had spoken through me before. When our eyes met, he flicked his fingers, making all of the Tarot cards turn around one after another, starting from The Fool. However, instead of the usual illustration you would normally find in there, I saw a short scene from back when I had awakened to my Persona and portrayed Yu Narukami and Aigis, protecting me from Shadows. The next one – The Magician showed the moment from the recent fight with Yosuke Hanamura and Junpei Iori helping me out. " **Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...** " The masked giant chuckled, spectating together with me how each Arcana showed a part of my life connected with certain people. Not surprisingly, the most of them included Persona users from the Ark plus some like uncle Hajime as The Hierophant, Sakura as The Hanged Man, aunt as The Temperance and Michael – The Sun. Eventually, the show finished with a golden Aeon Arcana, which unlike others, moved in front of Arisato and remained there like a frame. " _These are the people you formed bonds with. Even though most of them aren't present here, they will be always with you, so don't be afraid, Charlotte. Hear their voices inside of your heart!_ " Urged by Minato, I placed my hand on my chest and closed my eyes. Indeed, he was right. " _You can do this, Charlie!_ " " _Get them all and come back safely!_ " Those and many other of similar cheers rang out. Initially, they were hardly audible, but the more I concentrated on reaching to their sources, I began to hear them more clearly. " _Reforge them into your strength to stand on your own two feet. But even if you fall, they shall pick you up._ " " **As always, you keep on spreading such believes… Do you think you will get through her like that?** " " _I don't think. I know that, Ryoji._ " " **That was my name only for a time... There is no longer a distinction to be made between Nyx and myself...** **Will you finally understand that?** " " _No, for me you're still him, no matter what happens._ " " **You are helpless, Minato Arisato. Although this duel shall be your defeat… This woman does not trust you…** " Saying that, the one called by him by the name of Ryoji, pointed up on a 22th Tarot card, which was floating above us.

Opposite to all of the previous ones, this card was blank. No Arcana or anything else was displayed on its lightless surface. "…" I swallowed, averting my gaze. It wasn't like I distrusted in Minato's claims, but the real problem lied within me as I began to doubt my own person again. Was I even worth all of these nice words? How could they have so much faith in someone like me? Even I realized how little believable I was to myself, so others should have been able to see it more easily. I lied so many times… I deceived so many of decent people… And for what though? " _Don't let him sway your judgment. I've been watching over you for a while and I can tell you're a good person._ " The one who sealed Nyx reassured me, reminding me of something. "You were watching?" " _Yes. Sorry for doing it without your permission although I kind of had no choice. On the night of January 31th, 2010, my soul broke into several fragments and spread all over the Earth. One of the pieces managed to merge with yours and so on, we've been coexisting together like that, even though you were unaware of it. Because of that, I know that you should have more confidence in yourself. None of what occurred on that day was your fault._ " That date! No! Why did you have to mention it?! Just thinking about it caused my breathing to become irregular as I nervously shook, backing away in terror. I was so sure I had already forgotten, so out of all times, why now?! " **This child of a man is not ready. Because of your lack of thoughtfulness, she shall meet her demise faster than predicted…** " The Avatar of Nyx smiled triumphantly, reminding me of how pitiable I was. For my whole life I depended on someone. Initially it was my dad, but then… Argh! Then it was my mum and Michael… And even now I hoped that somebody would miraculously appear and fix everything for me. However, that wouldn't happen. I was alone… And this emptiness we were currently in perfectly captioned my broken heart. Somebody, help me gather all of these broken pieces. Please… All what I always wanted in life was to be like everyone else. To be on the equal ground with someone… Without having to maintain this mask of a sickly girl… I beg of you… Show me a method to acquire at least a dim ray of happiness in my miserable existence… Perhaps some kind of a divine being listened to my desperate plead as suddenly, a pillar of light appeared in front of me.

For a second, I was blinded by the intensity of this beam and narrowed my eyes, but once my sight fully adapted, I saw a silver gun with 'S.E.E.S' engraved on its slide slowly descending from the height. It originated from the previously empty card, which had proudly gleaming letters 'The World' on it now. I was genuinely captivated by this occurrence and walked straight into its source, raising my hand towards the falling object. On the second I did that, my body filled with calmness. All of my muscles eased up and I could no longer feel the tension, which was killing me so far. To be honest, I lacked vocabulary to properly describe this experience, however, what truly mattered were its effects. "Use it to come back to us, Charlie. Didn't I tell you before that no matter of what you throw at me, I'll still be your friend? So, don't think about leaving us! There are many people who love you dearly, even though you can't notice it at this moment." The one who spoke was unquestionably Elizabeth. Despite the fact her voice was muffled and somehow pained, I could recognize her. "You had to save me at the very last moment again, didn't you?" Warm tears began to roll down my cheeks as I grasped the grip of the pistol and instinctively, my finger moved towards its trigger. I was finally fighting back. Not only against Nyx, but also, against my own weaknesses. It was the high time to burn the dread lurking in the deepest parts of my soul, however, right before I found the courage to do so, the masked figure raised into the air and after a while, vanished. " **It appears that I was wrong… For now… Although I shall continue to impatiently watch how your story will end, Charlotte Atkins…** " Ignoring this ominous laughter, I rushed towards Arisato.

"Hey, are you okay?" I attempted to make contact with her, however, she didn't seem to react to anything. Even slapping her several times wasn't doing any good, so what should I do? In spite of all of the things she said and done before, I was one hundred percent convinced that she wasn't a bad person and the Persona she used when she had been exposed proved that. In Greek mythology there was a story about Apollo and Daphne and though the circumstances in there were quite different, I noticed a parallelism between the myth and the situation of Arisato siblings. Minako loved her brother so much that she wasn't able to cope with his death. I didn't know on which basis she assumed that destroying Erebus was going to erase the memories of him, however, she intended to protect Minato from such a fate, without care of the consequences of her actions, both global and connected to her person. To think that such despair would have been caused by loneliness… "Minako Arisato, can you hear me?" I raised her, hoping that the eye contact would cause her to snap out of this catatonic state although I was wrong. I could be talking to a sack of potatoes as well… Damn it! What happened to her mind? Nonetheless, I had to get her out of this space as soon as it was only possible, so supporting her limp body on my shoulder, I rushed towards the ray of light. Somehow, I knew that it was the exit and I was right. Once I steeled my resolve to be reunited with others, both of us began to ascend. " _The real trial will begin on the other side. Good luck, Charlotte._ " Just before we crossed, I noticed Minato's smile as his body was falling apart into a blue mist, which reformed as a butterfly and followed us back towards the Great Seal.

"Everyone, we're back!" I announced although then I realized something. There was no welcoming party or at least, not in a sense I would expect it to be, because Erebus turned out to be the host. "…?!" I gasped, looking around on the remains of the battlefield. There was not a single trace of the Reaper or smaller Shadows, instead, everywhere my eyes lied on were my fallen allies, desperately trying to recuperate from their heavy wounds. "Thank goodness, Charlie. We held it as long as we could, but it became unstable. It's only a matter of time before Erebus will destroy the Seal!" Elizabeth informed me. So, even she failed? If someone as insanely powerful as her wasn't able to stop this beast, then would I? "Use the Evoker. Show us the true strength of your heart, sweetie! And don't mind me. That's barely a scratch." Even though a long sharp object was piercing her stomach, her attitude wasn't different anyhow from usual as she grinned to me playfully. Seriously… She was such an inspiring person. Strange, yet indeed still someone I would like to become one day, however, that could wait. Dropping Arisato next to Elizabeth, I fixed my grip on the gun and called out to Erebus. "Hey, your real enemy is finally here. Look at me, asshole!" Although I doubted the effectiveness of this taunt, the monster became agitated once it heard my voice and abandoned trashing the statue of Minato Arisato. Considering those vicious looks from both of its heads, I could safely assume that it wished to do the same to me for interrupting its fun, however, I wasn't going to curl into a ball and cry for help like during our first meeting. "Oh, you've grown a bit, didn't you? But I think I understand it now. You're the darkness which dwells in the deepest parts of everyone's heart and permanently defeating you is impossible. Nonetheless, someone has to keep defying you. Or do something else. _Persona!_ "

Like if I was in some sort of a trance, I pressed the cold barrel of the Evoker against my forehead and without any hesitation, I pulled the trigger. "It's really working. It's his Orpheus!" Aigis' comment was on spot. Though I didn't know how, I didn't summon Pothinus this time but the white-haired musician with a lyre. He floated above my head and touched the strings of his instrument. Each of the times his fingers made contact was marked by an explosion fired up on Erebus but in spite of them being considerably big, I was sure that wasn't enough, so I continued. " _Jack Frost. Sarasvati._ " One after another, my new Personas used their elemental attacks, but I didn't check how it played out as Pothinus spoke to me. " **From the very moment we met, I knew that this moment would eventually come…** " " _Oberon. Shiisaa. Toto. Taraka. Thor._ " " **Even our powers combined with the Wild Card will not be enough to get rid of this fiend…** " " _Melchizedek. Siegfried. Arahabaki. Hecatoncheir. Odin._ " However, all of these seemed useless. No matter how much damage I managed to apply to Erebus' body, it was rapidly regenerating and it proceeded with charging a beam of energy. Crap! There had to be something more I could do to make it gone for good! " **That is why, it is the moment our paths must separate. Cast away the dark past of yours and be reborn anew!** " But how? " _Surt. Mother Harlot. Scathach. Kohryu. Norn. Attis. Thanatos._ " The longer the fight was taking place, the less chances I had as my stamina was being drained in an astounding speed and having to use stronger and stronger Personas wasn't helping. Think, Charlie, think! ...! Suddenly, I understood something.

In the game of chess, a sacrifice of one of the pieces was sometimes needed in order to reach the bigger goal and back then, Minato Arisato had seen this too. Though not many would have been able to do something like that, he voluntarily gave his life in order to protect this world and the people he cared about and that was why, I couldn't allow this to go to waste! " _Messiah!_ " The area filled with the brightness, blinding me for a second, during which I saw the shape of my initial Persona. " **It was an honor and pleasure to serve you. Farewell.** " He declared and my senses returned to the battlefield. Having grasped the answer, all what was left to do was to fuse these two together, so I flashed my burning hand in front of my eyes, creating a pulsing circle and then, I fired the Evoker right in its center, screaming the name which had been echoing inside of my head for a longer while. " _Cronus!_ " My summon was answered and the faceless Greek god of time appeared between me and Erebus. He was holding a huge golden clock with moving hands, which began to gradually slow down and once they eventually stopped, a cold wave went through the air, freezing my opponent in place. However, not only it, as the more and more visible layer of green energy kept on spreading in all of the directions, soon after reaching me too.

Did I win? Though I was initially confused, I quickly regained memories of the battle, so I opened my eyes but when I did so, I realized that I was no longer in the Abyss of Time. "Welcome back to the Velvet Room, dear guest." A familiar voice of the nameless attendant greeted me. "Why am I here again? What happened?" And in addition to that, I noticed we were the only ones present as the chair usually occupied by the long-nosed Igor was empty. "Apologies for any inconvenience caused by the absence of my Master. Regretfully, he had to attend some other urgent matter." The masked man bowed to me although that wasn't what I wished to learn. "Is everyone fine? Please, tell me something concrete, dammit!" A silence… It might have not been a complete one as the sound of severing strings on the clock in the background marked the passage of time until he had spoken up again.

"Something concrete." Unexpectedly, Igor's assistant burst into a maniacal laughter and throwing the Persona Compendium on the ground, he dropped on the armchair, putting his legs crossed on the table. "You always need to get what you want, don't you? Or you will act like a spoiled child. Seriously, you are already 19, girl. Grow up…" "You…" "Uaaghahaha. Just look on this frustration on your face! Truly priceless! It took you long enough to show your true colors, bitch." "Hey, whom you even are to call me like that?!" What was wrong with this guy? He was acting so differently comparing to the calm and collected self I remembered from my previous visits in the Velvet Room. "Aw, I'm glad you asked this question. Frankly, I've been waiting for it for a longer while, you see. But you kept on ignoring me. Pretending that I didn't exist! Don't treat others like you wouldn't like to be treated, you fucking moron!" I held my breath. Though I hated to admit that, parts from the nonsense he blurted out were correct. In spite of everything I had done to this point, my greatest fear was being alone. Every time all of the surrounding me people were gone, my thoughts would derail into the worst possible scenarios. _Kill yourself… End it… You don't deserve do live… Murderer…_ These and many similar phrases were gradually driving me insane and there wasn't anything I could do to stop them but to act as if they weren't there. After the outburst caused by the fight with Elizabeth, I would have finally done it… But then, he appeared in front of me, informing that if I would end my live on that roof, all of the humanity was going to be destroyed. I didn't want such a tragedy to happen just because of me! I wasn't worth to be the harbinger of death! "Oh, my, how generous of you. How many years did you wait to show some remorse? I'm quite impressed although it won't change the fact that Charlotte Atkins is **a cold-blooded** **killer**. And more to that, she had **murdered** no one else than her own **father**!"

At that moment I felt like if all of my blood rushed out of my face, but even with that, I noticed the increasing temperature in the Velvet Room. "Th… Th-that-t's…" What was I even trying to say?! My mind completely shut down and I couldn't formulate any thoughts. "Wuuuaaaahaah. That's how you should always behave! Yes, remember about everything! Do you know about something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Well, probably you have, but it seems that you tried to remove it out of your head as well. Too bad it didn't work… Or perhaps you never gave it a shot for real. Perhaps you knew deep down that such **a** **murderer** like you deserved the eternal punishment, so you kept reminding yourself of the events of that day, am I right?" My heart… It was beating so fast I thought that anytime soon it was about to rip my chest open. "Nothing in the Velvet Room happens without a reason. Did you seriously consider that clock as a symbol of the Dark Hour? You did? Then you are dumber than you made yourself seem to be. It's here for an exactly opposite reason. Why don't we watch together? The last bindings are already coming off, so let's check out what is about to take place." Not stopping to chuckle like a madman, the person with a velvet cross on his mask, turned his back to me and then, hands of the clock began to move again, however, not in the direction they would normally travel. Constantly speeding up, they were turning backwards, giving me a clear signal – we were going back in time, not towards the future. Oh, no… Anything but that!

" _I want to make Daddy happy. He always works so hard._ " A childish version of my voice sounded out as the remains of ice covering the walls of the Velvet Room melted, revealing what was hidden underneath of it. " _My Daddy is a policeman. He catches bad guys and put them into jail. Mommy says it's a very hard job, so is there any way I can help him?_ " This pattern of tiles! Exactly how it looked like in my family house. Not the current one but rather… " _Yeah, I know! I'll sneak out of the bed and make him a surprise breakfast at night. When he returns in the morning, he'll love it! But Mommy said I shouldn't be in the kitchen alone. It's dangerous…_ " January 31th, 2010, though I still didn't understand what was going on, that day was the moment when aggression escalated in our neighborhood. We lived in an experimental multicultural Friendship Estate, where people from many races and countries would find refuge, or that was at least the idealistic vision of Seattle's local government. In reality, it became the object of common hatred from the closest parts of the town and inhabiting it foreigners were blamed for any crime which would occur in the area. Not surprisingly, it didn't take long until protests started, demanding abolishment of Friendship. My father was one of the cops assigned on a duty then. " _La la la~. It's rather loud outside. I'm kinda curious but Mommy said I mustn't look out of the window. I have to be a good girl and listen to her._ _Hmm… Just sandwiches might be not enough. Daddy sure eats a lot… I know! I'll make a soup too! But I can't cook…What about these cup noodles? When Mommy is at work, he always eats them._ " I might have been nearly 10, however, I was utterly ignorant in many fields. Because of that, though I was clueless of how the stove worked at the time, I decided to prepare a meal on it and not even the tiniest hunch of the potential consequences of such misuse would enter my young and naïve brain. And those turned out to be tragic… " _Waaaah! A fire! Help me, Mommy!_ " Because of my lack of foresight, a laying nearby dishrag was caught in flames, which quickly began to spread. I panicked. I was desperately begging to be saved until my mother finally woke up and realized what I had done. However, it was already too late then. She grabbed me and ran through the chocking smoke, without a care for her own health, just with a one wish – to protect her only daughter, me. Although on that night we lost something even more important than our home and I was responsible for it as well.

"And guess what was next? Ah, you don't need to guess because you know it. The burning of Atkins' possession was a spark which triggered the violent riot in Friendship. Quite ironic name for a place which was an epicenter of discord on that day, wouldn't you agree?" The nameless seemed even more and more amused as the fire around us was getting out of control. "Fortunately, or not though, there hadn't been any more notable losses after the moods cooled down. Besides one – a single officer who lost his life stabbed to death by a random troublemaker. They weren't caught or even had their identity discovered, however, you knew the truth. The real perpetrator wasn't the bloodthirsty knife but rather, **a stupid child** , trying to show how mature she was. In simpler words, Harry Atkins was **killed** by his loving daughter – Charlotte. And she was so shameless to attend his funeral and cry during it!" "You weren't there! How could you possible know all of this?!" Breathing heavily, I used all of the remaining in me courage to spat it out, although I was only mocked by him. "What makes you so sure of it? What if I were to inform you that I have been watching you ever since that **crime**? Would you believe in that? No? Yes? I couldn't care less about the answer from someone who **imagined** so many of sicknesses. Photosensitivity? My ass… Even the gentlest kiss from the sun was a reminiscent of **guilt** , therefore, you avoided it at all cost. By the way, have you ever thought of dyeing your hair back to **blonde**? You looked better in it than white." "Stop it, please…" I couldn't take it anymore! But he still kept on talking. "Why should I? I'm only getting started. The juiciest part is about to come. You know, the real reason why I am aware of all your secrets is very simple…" Saying that, he slowly took off his mask and then I froze in shock. "It's because **I am you** …" It was like if I gazed into a mirror. He turned out to be her and in addition to that, a nearly perfect look-a-like of mine. The only distinction in our appearances were those shining with malice golden eyes. "No, that can't be…!" "You doubt me, huh? So, what is your choice, Charlotte? Will you finish the sentence or will you accept the truth sitting in front of you? I am a part of you, which you pretended not see for so long." Hastened by this taunt, I opened my mouth. What should I believe in? My gut feeling or senses…? Or perhaps both of them were wrong? I just wanted to close my eyes and forget… Well aware of the fact that my life was at stake, I made up my mind. "You… You are…"


	9. Epilogue 1 (Minato Arisato)

**Epilogue 1 (Minato Arisato)**

It was finally over… Just a notion of this put my mind at peace, however, celebrating the victory had to wait a little as Charlotte still remained on the other side of the Curtain. Persona used by her – Cronus, successfully managed to cut off the area close to the Great Seal from the realm of time, but even though leaving or entering there was currently pretty much impossible, I was certain that she would be able to find a passage to come back to her new friends. Yes, and speaking of them, as I had a couple of important things to discuss with them anyway, I decided to appear in front of their group and clarify some matters.

"Minato?" Not surprisingly, Aigis was the one to notice my presence first. Because of the barrier between me and Charlotte, this ghostly form of mine wasn't exactly stable, so I probably should hurry then, just in case. " _Thank you for all of your assistance so far. It makes me really happy to see that you've managed to grasp your own answers._ _You are the brightest hope of this world, so I'm glad you've done so much to spread this light to others._ " "I couldn't care less. What happened to Charlie? Why isn't she coming out of that thing?!" Michael Runcorn shouted out to me. He looked like as if he wanted to throw himself at me, however, his broken and dislocated leg prevented him from going too far. Well, such actions wouldn't benefit him anyhow as my body wasn't formed out of flesh in the first place. " _She's fighting the hardest battle of her life. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for her right now but to pray. I believe she will overcome this trial, so you should do the same._ " "God, god, god…! You don't know her. Her mother told me about all of she went through. If she's alone, she won't be able to… Fuck! We've gotta do something fast! Help me to get there!" Despite his desperate attempts to move, the man quickly tripped and since no one was giving him a hand, he began to crawl forward on his own. Such tenacity was surely worth to be respected, but as there was no guarantee that I would be able to maintain the ability to materialize for too long, I insisted on taking priority in explaining everything I knew to my former squad mates and their allies.

I told them all about Charlotte Atkins and her power. Though it was partly my fault for failing to give the proper instructions earlier, everyone excluding Michael listened to my advice not to interfere with the Curtain of Times. Of course, he had a good reason to react this way. When the loved ones were in distress, people like him were ready to do anything, so I didn't think reasoning with him would work in such a state. That was why it was best to let him be in my opinion. Even though he was already harmed, any further injuries were unlike to occur in this environment. "But what about you, man? It's great to talk to you again, but you know… Ah, don't make me say it…" Junpei began to blabber, barely able to formulate his thoughts. Despite the fact he tried to hide it, I could see how touched he was. "Isn't the Great Seal closed there as well? What will happen to your soul, Minato?" I knew that topic was going to be brought up eventually. It was only natural. In spite of having previously moved on after my death, this meeting must have reopened some deepest scars. Perhaps, they might have even hoped for my resurrection, however, nothing like that was going to take place. " _Erebus is no longer a threat._ " I replied, looking at the faces of surrounding me people. "So, what about…?" My fate? I turned towards Yukari to cut her midsentence. " _Both Erebus and Nyx are not a part of this world anymore, without any possible chance of return. Because of that, there's no need for me to remain here as well. Reaching this point was hard and costed all of you many sacrifices. That's why I have to thank you once again. If it wasn't for your efforts, the Fall wouldn't have been permanently prevented._ " "But you haven't answered… I beg of you, please don't keep us in the dark anymore…" Aigis cried out, so I decided it was the high time to be blunt.

" _I'm going to move on._ " I announced and not surprisingly, this information caused a lot of sadness to my dear friends. Even though I'd prefer otherwise, neither of us could do anything about that. Those 9 years ago I was already well aware of that my story would have no happy end. But I wasn't concerned by that. If thanks to that the whole humanity could gain one, I was fine with dying. Death wasn't something to be feared. It was a natural part of one's existence – the bridge between two paths: of life we were familiar with and the mystery of what the final breath would bring. Frankly, after standing for so long at this crossing, I began to look forward to learn what laid on the other side. " _You all should know that there are no second chances in living. I've been once put down to my grave and even if I could, I wouldn't try to get out of it. My time is already over, however, it's not like I'm going to abandon you forever. Charlotte wasn't the only one with whom I was since then, as in a sense, I was at the side of each of you. I shared all of your burdens and pain and smiled to see your happiness. The bonds between us are stronger than death, so do not grief. Even though I'm no longer here, I'll always be a part of your lives._ " "He's right. If it wasn't for Minato, we would never be able to push ourselves this far. He's been guiding us by a hand for all of these years… That's why, thank you." Mitsuru interjected. Normally she would at least attempt to mask it, although she was currently crying in open. In reply, I beamed at her, however, before any of us could say anything else, a loud interruption from the direction of the Curtain sounded out.

" **You… You are not me! Not anymore! As long as these guys are here for me, I can change.** " This voice belonged to Charlotte. Though hearing her exclaiming something like that made me proud, I was more worried with the circumstances. As even I wasn't able to check what was behind this veil pulsing now in red, I was clueless of what caused her to burst out in such a manner. "It can't be! Is she facing her Shadow?" Yukiko made a quick deduction. "Crap! Elizabeth mentioned something like that before. She rejected it, so she might be in serious troubles!" Yu Narukami grabbed his sword and charged at the Curtain, but he wasn't the first one to do so. "Charlie! I'm getting you out of there." Barely holding on his own, Michael somehow raised on his feet and began to repeatedly attack the barrier. With each of the blows, he was being thrown back, although he kept on standing up and continuing with this impossible task. "Something like that won't stop me. I promised I would protect you no matter what. _Soter!_ " His Persona began to thrash its two large shields against the Curtain, but neither that was effective. " _Stop him, somebody. I can sense something is going on!_ " Though I wasn't able to observe more, I noticed a disturbance in time and space, so just in case, it was better to remove Michael to the safe distance. Personally, I couldn't do much about that, so I had to count on Akihiko and Yu to take care of him. "Let go of me, bastards! I'm getting close to break to her." In a desperate frenzy, Michael was attempting to shake off the restricting him hands, but he had no chance and was slowly being pulled back. "There's no certainty. You could be doing exactly opposite." Correct point, although Runcorn wasn't listening to Narukami's reasoning and continuously fought to break free until the moment the Curtain wavered.

Everyone held their breaths. Initially, it was just a single tick, however, it rapidly turned into the whole sequence of effects. Like if someone was trying to forcefully cross through the blockade. "Charlie? Is that you?! Speak to me!" Once again, Michael started to wriggle out, this time stronger than before. Seeing that, Kanji also joined in the attempts to stop him, although then something unexpected occurred. Female fingers stuck out from the Curtain of Time and using this distraction, American Persona user managed to escape the clutches of the three. "I've got you! I'm going to pull you out of there!" And he did as he said. With no regards to his own well-being, Michael began to gradually help Charlotte and this way, a bit below of her wrist was already on this side. Unquestionably, it had to be her. If I recognized this beginning of the green sleeve, her boyfriend would have even less doubts, so he increased his efforts. "What the fuck are you staring at? Give me a hand!" I didn't know whether he was aware of the time limit or not, but he hastened others to assist him. The Curtain was slowly calming down and once it was about to fully settle back to greenness, it would be too late. "Yeah…" Yu nodded and began to pull as well and their force of two quickly transformed into the power of four. Like that, more and more of Charlotte's arm was showing up, however, if they were to keep up in this pace, the whole operation would have ended with failure as the layer of red was diminishing with each second. Others must have understood that too and began to aid the pulling party, even though it sometimes meant basically supporting guys in front of them. This way, regardless of age and gender, soon after everyone able to stand joined the battle. Everyone, but not her.

Elizabeth continued to watch the struggle with a completely blank expression on her face. By all means, she wasn't as heartless to do such a thing on purpose and especially after I witnessed her talking to Charlotte earlier, I was certain that there had to be another reason for her idleness. Probably sensing my gaze on her, she turned and then our eyes met, allowing me to realize what was going on. It wasn't like Elizabeth didn't want to save her friend, she was simply paralyzed by fear. It was the first time I saw her expressing such an intense emotion, which must have been caused by the readings, she also could access. Namely, despite the fact that she was slowly crossing to this side, Charlotte's signal was drastically fading ever since her cry had been heard. For that same reason, I felt like if I was about vanish any second now, but I was more concerned with her. This girl suffered a lot, which left many scars on her heart, so at this point, she was the only one who could turn the tables of this rescue mission. C'mon Charlotte! I know you can do this! Hoping that she received my message, I closed my eyes for a moment, however, it didn't take long before something unforeseen caught my attention.

The Curtain was once again green and the group underneath it dropped back on the ground. Some people were screaming, but the most dominating voice belonged to Michael Runcorn. He was laying down, clutching to a severed arm of his girlfriend and continuously called her name. But there was no answer and there would never be one anymore. Suddenly, my vision began to blur and my body started to dematerialize into the blueish gas. Just before my consciousness faded, I looked at Minako. I didn't approve of her actions, nor the usage of funds left by our grandparents, however, she was still my precious sister, so seeing her in such a state hurt me deeply. Praying that they would find a way to save at least her, I welcomed the grasping me darkness…


	10. Epilogue 2 (Michael Runcorn)

**Epilogue 2 (Michael Runcorn)**

Three months had passed since that night, but for me, it still seemed like if the time stopped. Charlie… She was… dead… Even thinking about that was difficult to me. This girl was someone special, so I couldn't just forget about her. Not during the day, nor while sleeping. Nightmares were keep coming regularly, reminding me of the greatest failure of my life. If only I was strong enough! Damn it! Clenching my fist tightly, I slowly stood up from the hospital bed.

At any rate, it was a miracle that doctors managed to fix my leg so fast. Though initially they thought I would require a wheelchair from now on, the bone somehow healed and this way, after a short period of rehabilitation, I was able to walk pretty much normally, however, I couldn't care less about that. So what of the fact I was here, if she wasn't? Since I didn't protect her, I should have just died alongside her. Yes, that was what I deserved… Without Charlie I was no one. Because of her I awakened to my Persona and once I coincidently met up with the Ark, I started to work with them for her sake. And now… Taking all of my stuff from the shelf, I opened the door to my room and walked into the corridor.

As it was a rather prestigious hospital, there wasn't much patients in here. If it wasn't for Mitsuru Kirijo financing my recuperation, I would have been unable to afford such treatment. And so would probably the most of harmed in the Dark Hour incident. Some like Yukari, Ken or Kanji ended up with minor wounds, so they were dismissed home on the same day, while others remained in this place for more time. But even they eventually left and besides me, the hospital wing was nearly empty. Passing next to the room 207 I cautiously peered in through the small glass panel. Luckily, no one noticed me, so for a second I stopped to look at Makoto Niijima. She was currently sleeping on a chair, next to the bed where laid Ren. In spite of him being in coma, this girl was visiting him every day when she thought there would be no other visitors. Well, good for them… One day the famed Joker was surely going to wake up and then, I was certain he would appreciate it. Anyway, I didn't know what took place in that palace and I wasn't even going to ask. I was done with all of this bullshit about bonds, so I decided to leave. In more than one meaning of this word.

Ever since I regained the ability to walk, I was collecting information and that was why I knew it was my chance. Today was Tuesday, so using the distraction in form of one of the Ark Persona users coming for an inspection to learn about Arisato's status, I began to head upstairs. Truth to be told, I still had some troubles with that, however, I gritted my teeth and swallowing the pain, I reached the fourth floor. As I predicted, I didn't encounter anyone. Not even a nurse or a doctor. Perfect… There wouldn't be any unnecessary disruptions in a visit I was about to pay. Hmm… 411…413… Even though I was getting closer and closer, I didn't feel anything. My mind was completely blank and my movements grew nearly robotic. I was genuinely surprised with how calm I was, but perhaps I indeed lost a part of my humanity after this farce of Charlie's funeral. Gas explosion… I didn't know what was worse – knowing the truth or hearing the covered-up version… That was why I discarded the rest of my emotions and like a machine programmed to finish the job, I slowly reached the room 419 at the end of the corridor. Seriously… Not even a single guard had been stationed in front of the door. How trusting you could get? A silly lock like that wasn't an obstacle for someone who wanted to get inside, as with enough skills, breaking in was a joke of a challenge. Because of that, it took me barely a couple of seconds to get inside.

This hospital room was adapted specially for the confided in it patient, although what was even the point of going so far for someone like her? This woman wasn't going anywhere. From what I overheard, the attempt to control Erebus put such a tremendous strain on her brain that it had been irrevocably damaged, making Minako Arisato nothing more than a vegetable, existing just for a sake of existing. Why her? That was unfair… Why that bitch had to survive and not Charlie? She was the reason of everything what happened. The root of all evil. She killed my love and for that reason, she deserved to suffer. To writhe in agony as long as it was possible. However, I knew there was no way of making her feel it. Besides, I didn't have enough time anyway. The cameras surely caught me coming here on their feed, so I had to act quick, before the security could realize my intentions. "You can see me, can't you? How does it feel? Are you scared of death or are you going to start throwing more of brother complex tantrums?" I whispered to Minako, pressing the silver barrel of my faithful Smith&Wesson Model 500 against her forehead. Charlie's uncle helped me to smuggle it into the hospital. Since he lost not only his niece but also, his wife, he understood how I felt and fully approved of my plan. At least the part I mentioned to him. "The gun is loaded with two bullets. One for you, one for me. Maybe we will meet in hell and then, I promise to treat you with something more painful. Don't bother to rest in peace…" Saying that, I placed my finger on the trigger and slowly pulled it. Simultaneously, the door of the room suddenly burst open.


	11. Velvet Room – Brand New Days

**Velvet Room – Brand New Days**

As always after guest's departure, the Velvet Room entered a period of stagnation. Since there was no need to reflect anyone's fate, this place returned to its original form, which only its residents were able to perceive.

"Hmm… How curious…" Stopping his work, Igor raised his nose from the desk and followed movements of the unexpectedly appeared blue butterfly. Flying around for a moment, it eventually dissipated into the mass of golden energy from which a man in a white suit stepped out. His hair was long and dark and tied up in a ponytail falling down on his back, while his face was hidden under a mostly white mask, reassembling golden butterfly wings at the sides. Crossing his hands behind his back, he spoke up in a calm tone. "Greetings, Igor. I pray you are well." "I am. Indeed I am. Hopefully, it's the same for you, Philemon." The master of the Velvet Room replied. "What brings you here, if I may ask?" "I have been wondering about something for a while. Regarding the recent guest of yours, that is." "Oh, does the late Miss Atkins interest you? How may I be of assistance?" "It is nothing special. Just a simple dilemma – what makes the happy ending happy in your view? Is the happiness of a successful protagonist a fitting criterion or perhaps, a greater good of a common goal?" "None of these. I believe it's something the said hero must decide on their own. Or in this case, the heroine." "I see. But what about fate? Certain individuals proved that it is possible to fight against it, therefore, was there really no other conclusions in this story but death?" Saying that, Philemon looked up and for a moment, the Velvet Room went silent.

Finally, Igor came up with an answer. "No. Death awaited Miss Atkins at all of the plausible routes, though not always hers. In the current scheme of things, she had chosen to sacrifice herself for the sake of others, however, she failed to face her own deepest feelings. Although, even if she were to be victorious, it would have been only a matter of time before this unfortunate soul would have fallen to an eternal sleep due to the exhaustion of life force." "My, how tragic… You mentioned some alternatives though. Could you elaborate, please?" Philemon gazed intently into Igor's bloodshot eyes. He might have been able to see all of this on his own, however, he had a specific goal in extracting it from his subordinate. "If Miss Atkins were to heed her partner's advice, there was a chance of surviving this ordeal, but on the other hand, it would have been paved in the blood of her comrades." "So, in the end, you claim that the current story has the best outcome?" "I never said that. If it wasn't for a certain grave mistake, conclusions would have been far more satisfying. For both parties…"

Philemon was content with what he heard, so he turned his back to Igor. But before he was about to depart back to his domain, there was one more business he wanted to take care of in the Velvet Room. "I assume that since you have lost your attendant, you are shorthanded." "Oh, do not worry. It's not like we're especially busy. Besides, Belladonna, Nameless, Demon Painter, Margaret, Lavenza and Theodore are still here…" "Nonetheless, allow me to compensate you for what happened." Saying that, Philemon smiled brightly and clapped his hands twice, creating two swarms of blueish butterflies, which eventually formed into humanoid shapes. The blue-haired boy in a velvet steward's uniform with a small black hat on his head on the left and a sandy-blonde girl in a heavy dark blue coat on the right. Both of them seemed surprised, however, they still remained motionless where they appeared. "Ufufu, what an intriguing choice." Igor chuckled and at that moment, the door of his office opened widely. In the threshold stood Elizabeth with her mouth agape. Tears began to fall down her cheeks.


End file.
